Shloka 18
स्त्रीस्वभावप्रश्नः — Nārada and Pañcacūḍā on Strī-svabhāva
Anuśāsana-parva 38
किराता यवनाश्ैव तास्ता: क्षत्रियजातय: । वृषलत्वमनुप्राप्ता ब्राह्मणानाममर्षणात्
kirātā yavanāś caiva tāstāḥ kṣatriyajātayaḥ | vṛṣalatvam anuprāptā brāhmaṇānām amarṣaṇāt ||
Bhīṣma said: “The Kirātas and the Yavanas, and other such peoples, were originally of kṣatriya stock. Yet, through intolerance and resentment toward the brāhmaṇas, they fell into the condition of vṛṣalas.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Resentment and intolerance toward the brāhmaṇas (symbolizing Vedic learning, restraint, and ritual authority) is presented as a cause of ethical and social decline; hostility to dharma-bearing institutions leads to loss of one’s rightful standing.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction on dharma, he cites groups such as the Kirātas and Yavanas as examples of peoples said to have once been kṣatriyas but who, due to resentment toward brāhmaṇas, came to be regarded as vṛṣalas—illustrating a moralized explanation for social reclassification.