Shloka 42
दक्षिणापथजन्मान: सर्वे नरवरान्ध्रका: । गुहा: पुलिन्दा: शबराश्नूचुका मद्रकै: सह,नरेश्वर! दक्षिण भारतमें जन्म लेनेवाले सभी आन्ध्र, गुह, पुलिन्द, शबर, चूचुक और मद्रक-ये सब-के-सब म्लेच्छ हैं
dakṣiṇāpathajanmānaḥ sarve naravarāndhrakāḥ | guhāḥ pulindāḥ śabarāśnūcukā madrakaiḥ saha, nareśvara ||
Bhīṣma said: “O king, all those born in the southern region—namely the Āndhras, the Guhas, the Pulindas, the Śabaras, the Śnūcukas, and the Madrakas—are all regarded as mlecchas.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse reflects a dharma-śāstra style classification of communities by perceived adherence to Vedic social-religious norms. It illustrates how the epic, in its didactic sections, sometimes frames ‘insider/outsider’ categories (ārya/mleccha) as part of a king’s knowledge of society and polity, rather than as a measure of individual virtue.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs the king on matters of dharma and governance. Here he lists certain groups associated with the southern region and labels them ‘mleccha’ according to the text’s normative taxonomy, as part of a broader discussion that includes peoples, customs, and social categories.