Shloka 32
Āśrama-dharma: Duties of the Four Life-Stages (आश्रमधर्मः)
अवश्यं भरणीयो हि वर्णानां शूद्र उच्यते । छत्र॑ वेष्टनमौशीरमुपानद् व्यजनानि च
avaśyaṃ bharaṇīyo hi varṇānāṃ śūdra ucyate | chatra-veṣṭanam auśīram upānad vyajanāni ca
Bhīṣma sprach: „Unter den gesellschaftlichen Ständen wird der Śūdra als einer beschrieben, der notwendigerweise zu Dienst und Unterstützung herangezogen werden muss. In diesem Zusammenhang werden auch Dinge wie ein Schirm, ein Kopftuch, duftendes auśīra (Vetiver), Schuhwerk und Fächer erwähnt.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames the Śūdra’s dharma in terms of necessary service/support within the varṇa system, and it lists practical items associated with such service and daily life, emphasizing social function and livelihood.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma is instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and social order; here he continues a discussion of varṇa-based duties by characterizing the Śūdra’s role and mentioning related objects of use.