Shloka 3
Rājapurohita-lakṣaṇa and Purūravas–Vāyu Saṃvāda
Varṇa, Sovereignty, and Abhaya-dāna
पुरूरवा उवाच कुतःस्विद् ब्राह्मणो जातो वर्णाश्वापि कुतस्त्रय: । कस्माच्च भवति श्रेष्ठस्तन्मे व्याख्यातुमहसि
purūravā uvāca kutaḥ svid brāhmaṇo jāto varṇāś cāpi kutaḥ trayaḥ | kasmāc ca bhavati śreṣṭhas tan me vyākhyātum arhasi ||
Purūravas sprach: „O Gott Vāyu! Aus welcher Quelle wurde der Brāhmaṇa geboren? Und aus welcher Quelle gingen die drei anderen Varṇas hervor? Und aus welchem Grund gilt der Brāhmaṇa unter ihnen als der Vornehmste? Bitte erkläre mir dies deutlich.“
पुरूरवा उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharmic inquiry into the origins and relative status of the varṇas, especially the rationale by which the Brāhmaṇa is called ‘foremost’; it sets up an ethical-theological explanation rather than asserting it directly.
King Purūravas respectfully questions a divine interlocutor (commonly understood here as Vāyu) about how the Brāhmaṇa and the other three varṇas originated and why the Brāhmaṇa is regarded as superior, requesting a clear exposition.