Shloka 16
धृतराष्ट्रपुत्रनामावलिः (Roster of Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Children) / Names of the Kauravas in Order
शूद्रयोनावतो धर्म मानुष: सम्भविष्यसि । मर्यादां स्थापयाम्यद्य लोके धर्मफलोदयाम्,अतः धर्म! तुम मनुष्य होकर शूद्रयोनिमें जन्म लोगे। आजसे संसारमें मैं धर्मके फलको प्रकट करनेवाली मर्यादा स्थापित करता हूँ
śūdrayonāvato dharma mānuṣaḥ sambhaviṣyasi | maryādāṁ sthāpayāmy adya loke dharmaphalodayām ||
Aṇīmāṇḍavya said: “O Dharma, you shall be born among humans from a Śūdra womb. From this very day I establish in the world a binding rule—one that makes the fruits of dharma manifest.”
अणीमाण्डग्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ethical judgment must be accountable: righteousness (Dharma) is not merely abstract law but must yield visible, proportionate consequences. The verse frames a demand that moral outcomes (dharmaphala) become manifest in the world through an established norm (maryādā).
The sage Aṇīmāṇḍavya addresses Dharma directly and pronounces a curse: Dharma will be born as a human from a Śūdra womb. He also declares that from that day a rule will stand in the world ensuring the manifestation of dharma’s fruits—reflecting his protest against Dharma’s earlier harsh or flawed adjudication.