Shloka 63
वेदावाप्तिब्रद्यिणस्येह दृष्टा रणे बल क्षत्रियाणां जयो युधि । धनज्येष्ठाश्नापि भवन्ति वैश्या: शूद्रा55रोग्यं प्राप्तुवन्तीह सर्वे
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
vedāvāptir brāhmaṇasyātra dṛṣṭā raṇe balaṃ kṣatriyāṇāṃ jayo yudhi |
dhanajyeṣṭhāś ca bhavanti vaiśyāḥ śūdrā ārogyaṃ prāpnuvantīha sarve ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Here, the fruit is seen according to one’s station: for brāhmaṇas, the gaining of Vedic knowledge; for kṣatriyas, strength in battle and victory in war; for vaiśyas, preeminence in wealth; and for śūdras, health and freedom from illness. Thus, by hearing and reciting this account, each order is said to obtain the benefit suited to its dharma.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse functions as a phalaśruti: it asserts that listening to or reciting this sacred narrative yields benefits aligned with each varṇa’s dharma—knowledge for brāhmaṇas, martial power and victory for kṣatriyas, prosperity for vaiśyas, and health for śūdras—thereby encouraging śravaṇa and pāṭha as ethically meaningful acts.
In Vaiśampāyana’s narration, this is a concluding-style statement that praises the efficacy of the recited account, describing the observable fruits (phala) that accrue to different social orders from engaging with the Mahābhārata’s telling.