Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

पूर्वो ब्रह्मोत्तरो वादो द्वितीय: क्षत्रियोत्तर: | त्वयोक्तौ हेतुयुक्तौ तौ विशेषस्तत्र दृश्यते

Transliteration

pūrvo brahmottaro vādo dvitīyaḥ kṣatriyottaraḥ | tvayoktau hetuyuktau tau viśeṣas tatra dṛśyate ||

Translation

Arjuna said: “The first position asserts the pre-eminence of the Brahmin; the second, as the concluding standpoint, asserts the superiority of the Kshatriya. You have explained that both are supported by a common rationale—namely, the protection and governance of the people—yet a distinction between them is still seen in the world.”

Word by Word

• {'pūrvaḥ': 'former, earlier', 'brahma-uttaraḥ': 'having ‘Brahmin’ as the concluding/upper claim

• asserting Brahmin pre-eminence', 'vādaḥ': 'argument, thesis, doctrinal position', 'dvitīyaḥ': 'second', 'kṣatriya-uttaraḥ': 'having ‘Kshatriya’ as the concluding/upper claim

• asserting Kshatriya superiority', 'tvayā uktau': 'said/explained by you', 'hetu-yuktau': 'endowed with a reason

• supported by a rationale', 'tau': 'those two (positions/classes)', 'viśeṣaḥ': 'difference, distinction, special feature', 'tatra': 'therein, in that matter', 'dṛśyate': 'is seen, is observed'}

Speaker

अजुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Arjuna
• Brahmin (Brāhmaṇa)
• Kshatriya (Kṣatriya)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Arjuna frames two competing theses—Brahmin pre-eminence and Kshatriya superiority—and notes that both are justified by the shared ethical aim of protecting and sustaining society (prajā-pālana). The verse highlights that social roles may share a common purpose yet still differ in function, authority, and observable practice.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instructional dialogue, Arjuna questions the speaker’s earlier reasoning about the relative status of Brahmins and Kshatriyas. He points out that although both are said to be grounded in the same societal rationale, people still perceive a real distinction between them, prompting further clarification.