Shloka 40
तीर्थवंशोपदेशः
Tīrtha-vaṃśa Upadeśa: Instruction on the Fruits of Sacred Waters
विप्रस्थ रशना मौज्जी मौर्वी राजन्यगामिनी । बाल्वजी होव वैश्यस्य धर्म एष युधिष्ठिर,युधिष्ठिर! उपनयनके समय ब्राह्मणको मूँजकी, क्षत्रियको प्रत्यज्जाकी और वैश्यको शणकी मेखला धारण करनी चाहिये। यही धर्म है
viprasya raśanā mauñjī maurvī rājanyagāminī | bālvajī vāpi vaiśyasya dharma eṣa yudhiṣṭhira ||
Bhīṣma said: “O Yudhiṣṭhira, the prescribed girdle (mekhalā) at the time of initiation is of muñja-grass for a brāhmaṇa, of the bowstring-fibre (maurvī) for a kṣatriya, and of flax/hemp fibre (bālvajī) for a vaiśya. This is the established rule of dharma.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma states a normative dharma-rule for the upanayana rite: each varṇa traditionally wears a specific material girdle, symbolizing disciplined entry into Vedic study and duty appropriate to one’s social role.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhīṣma answers Yudhiṣṭhira’s queries by detailing ritual prescriptions; here he specifies the proper initiation girdle materials for brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, and vaiśya.