Shloka 17
स्त्रीस्वभावप्रश्नः — Nārada and Pañcacūḍā on Strī-svabhāva
Anuśāsana-parva 38
मेकला द्राविडा लाटा: पौण्ड़ा: कान्वशिरास्तथा । शौण्डिका दरदा दार्वाश्नौरा: शबरबर्बरा:
mekalā drāviḍā lāṭāḥ pauṇḍrāḥ kāṇvaśirās tathā | śauṇḍikā daradā dārvāś caurāḥ śabarabarbarāḥ ||
Bhishma said: The Mekalas, Dravidas, Latas, Paundras, and the Kanvashiras; likewise the Shaundikas, Daradas, Darvas, Chauras, Shabaras, and Barbaras—these groups were formerly Kshatriyas. But through jealousy and hostility toward the Brahmanas, they fell from their status and came to be regarded as degraded.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma frames social decline as an ethical consequence: hostility and jealousy toward the Brahmanas (the custodians of Vedic learning and ritual authority in the epic’s worldview) leads to loss of recognized Kshatriya standing. The emphasis is on conduct (especially envy and antagonism) as a cause of ‘fall’ from dharmic status.
In Anushasana Parva’s instruction section, Bhishma is listing various peoples and explaining how certain groups came to be regarded as degraded. He states that these named communities were once Kshatriyas but later lost that standing due to their antagonistic attitude toward Brahmanas.