Shloka 47
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 71 — Kṣatra-dharma Counsel, Public Legitimacy, and Mobilization
शूद्र: करोति शुश्रूषां वैश्या वै पण्यजीविका: । वयं वधेन जीवाम: कपाल ब्राह्मुणैर्व॒तम्,शूद्र सेवाका कार्य करता है, वैश्य व्यापारसे जीविका चलाते हैं, हम क्षत्रिय युद्धमें दूसरोंका वध करके जीवन-निर्वाह करते हैं और ब्राह्मणोंने अपनी जीविकाके लिये भिक्षापात्र चुन लिया है
śūdraḥ karoti śuśrūṣāṃ vaiśyā vai paṇyajīvikāḥ | vayaṃ vadhena jīvāmaḥ kapālaṃ brāhmaṇair vratam ||
Yudhiṣṭhira sprach: „Der Śūdra lebt vom Dienst; die Vaiśyas leben vom Handel. Wir Kṣatriyas erhalten uns, indem wir andere in der Schlacht töten; und die Brāhmaṇas haben die Bettelschale als ihr gelobtes Mittel des Lebensunterhalts erwählt.“
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames livelihood as aligned with varṇa-based duties: service for Śūdras, commerce for Vaiśyas, protection/war for Kṣatriyas (even when it entails killing), and austere dependence (begging-bowl) for Brāhmaṇas. It highlights how dharma is often discussed in terms of socially assigned responsibilities and disciplined restraint.
In Udyoga Parva’s pre-war deliberations, Yudhiṣṭhira reflects on the customary means of livelihood for the four varṇas. His statement underscores the moral tension of impending conflict by explicitly naming the Kṣatriya’s harsh vocation—living by battle and killing—alongside the contrasting austerity attributed to Brāhmaṇas.