Shloka 11
विशेषेण च वक्ष्यामि चातुर्वर्ण्यस्य लिड्ल्भत: । पज्चभूतशरीराणां सर्वेषां सदृशात्मनाम्
viśeṣeṇa ca vakṣyāmi cāturvarṇyasya lakṣaṇataḥ | pañcabhūtaśarīrāṇāṃ sarveṣāṃ sadṛśātmanām ||
Bhīṣma said: “Now I shall state, in particular, the defining marks of the fourfold social order. The bodies of all—though classed as brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, and śūdra—are formed from the same five great elements, and the Self within them is alike. Yet distinctions are laid down in their worldly duties and in their specific obligations, so that, by faithfully following one’s own dharma, all may again attain unity.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma emphasizes that all four varṇas share the same elemental bodily constitution and the same ātman; differences in prescribed duties are functional and ethical—meant to guide people through svadharma toward a higher unity.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction section, Bhīṣma continues his discourse on dharma, announcing that he will describe the specific characteristics of the four varṇas while grounding the discussion in the shared nature of body (pañcabhūta) and Self (ātman).