Shloka 48
ब्रद्मक्षत्रस्य विहिता: सूता वै परिचारका: । न क्षत्रियों वै सूतानां शूणुयाच्च कथठ्चन,सूतजातिके लोग ब्राह्मणों और क्षत्रियोंके सेवक नियुक्त किये गये हैं, क्षत्रिय सूतोंका सेवक हो, यह कोई किसी प्रकार कहीं नहीं सुन सकता
brahmakṣatrasya vihitāḥ sūtā vai paricārakāḥ | na kṣatriyo vai sūtānāṃ śuśrūyāc ca kathaṃcana ||
Śalya said: “For the Brahmins and the Kshatriyas, the Sūtas have been appointed as attendants and servants. That a Kshatriya should serve the Sūtas—this is something one never hears of in any way.”
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts a hierarchical social norm: Sūtas are portrayed as appointed attendants to Brahmins and Kshatriyas, and it is presented as improper or unheard-of for a Kshatriya to be subordinate to a Sūta. Ethically, it reflects how appeals to status and duty (varṇa-dharma) are used to define honor and legitimacy.
In the Karṇa Parva, Śalya speaks sharply in the war setting, using social-status arguments to belittle and unsettle Karṇa (often associated with Sūta identity in the epic’s polemics). The statement functions as psychological pressure and rhetorical provocation amid battlefield counsel and conflict.