Shloka 3

Agastya-Māhātmya and Vasiṣṭha’s Protection of the Ādityas

Khalina Daityas; Sarayū Etiology

Devanagari script

ब्राह्मणाः क्षत्रिया वैश्या भोज्या वै क्षत्रियस्य ह । वर्जनीयास्तु वै शूद्रा: सर्वभक्षा विकर्मिण:,इसी प्रकार क्षत्रियको ब्राह्मण, क्षत्रिय तथा वैश्यके घर ही भोजन ग्रहण करना चाहिये। भक्ष्य-अभक्ष्यका विचार न करके सब कुछ खानेवाले और शास्त्रके विरुद्ध आचरण करनेवाले शूद्रोंका अन्न उसके लिये भी त्याज्य है

Transliteration

brāhmaṇāḥ kṣatriyā vaiśyā bhojyā vai kṣatriyasya ha | varjanīyās tu vai śūdrāḥ sarvabhakṣā vikarmiṇaḥ ||

Translation

Bhīṣma said: “For a kṣatriya, it is proper to accept food from the houses of brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, and vaiśyas. But the food of śūdras who eat indiscriminately—without regard for what is fit or unfit—and who act contrary to śāstra is to be avoided by him as well.”

Word by Word

• {'brāhmaṇāḥ': 'Brahmins

• members of the priestly/teaching class', 'kṣatriyāḥ': 'Kshatriyas

• members of the ruling/warrior class', 'vaiśyāḥ': 'Vaishyas

• members of the agrarian/mercantile class', 'bhojyāḥ': 'fit to be eaten from

• acceptable as a source of food', 'kṣatriyasya': 'of a kshatriya', 'ha': 'indeed

• emphatic particle', 'varjanīyāḥ': 'to be avoided

• to be shunned', 'tu': 'but

• however', 'śūdrāḥ': 'Shudras

• members of the service class', 'sarvabhakṣāḥ': 'those who eat everything indiscriminately (without discrimination of permissible/impermissible)', 'vikarmiṇaḥ': 'doers of forbidden acts

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• Brahmins
• Kshatriyas
• Vaishyas
• Shudras