Shloka 5
भृगु–भरद्वाजसंवादः: वर्णभेदस्य कर्माधारितव्याख्या
Bhrigu–Bharadvaja Dialogue: A Karma-Based Account of Varṇa
वैश्य: कश्चिदृषिसुतं काश्यपं संशितव्रतम् । रथेन पातयामास श्रीमान् दृप्तस्तपस्विनम्,कहते हैं, पूर्वकालमें धनके अभिमानसे मतवाले हुए किसी धनी वैश्यने कठोर व्रतका पालन करनेवाले तपस्वी ऋषिकुमार काश्यपको अपने रथसे धक्के देकर गिरा दिया
bhīṣma uvāca | vaiśyaḥ kaścid ṛṣisutaṃ kāśyapaṃ saṃśitavratam | rathena pātayāmāsa śrīmān dṛptas tapasvinam ||
Bhishma said: In former times, a certain wealthy merchant (vaiśya), intoxicated with the pride of riches, struck down with his chariot the ascetic Kashyapa—an rishi’s son, steadfast in severe vows—causing the tapasvin to fall.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Pride arising from wealth can corrupt judgment and lead to adharma—here, violence and disrespect toward a disciplined ascetic—thereby setting the stage for moral blame and karmic retribution; prosperity should be governed by humility and restraint.
Bhishma recounts an old incident: a rich, arrogant merchant drives his chariot into (or against) the ascetic Kashyapa, a sage’s son devoted to strict vows, and knocks him down—an initiating event that typically leads to a lesson about consequences and righteous conduct.