Shloka 21
Vasiṣṭha–Karāla-Janaka Saṃvāda: Aśuddha-Sevana, Guṇa-Dr̥ṣṭi, and Sāṃkhya–Yoga Ekārthatā
Mahābhārata 12.293
दमेन शोभते वित्र: क्षत्रियो विजयेन तु । धनेन वैश्य: शूद्रस्तु नित्यं दाक्ष्येण शोभते
damena śobhate vipraḥ kṣatriyo vijayena tu | dhanena vaiśyaḥ śūdras tu nityaṃ dākṣyeṇa śobhate ||
Parāśara said: “A brāhmaṇa shines by self-restraint; a kṣatriya by victory; a vaiśya by wealth; and a śūdra ever shines by skillful service and competence. Thus each social order is honored when it embodies its own proper excellence.”
पराशर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that each varṇa is esteemed when it cultivates its characteristic virtue: restraint for the brāhmaṇa, victorious protection for the kṣatriya, prosperity through wealth for the vaiśya, and reliable competence in service/work for the śūdra—i.e., social harmony through excellence in one’s dharma.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma, the sage Parāśara states a normative principle about how different social roles become ‘ornamented’ (honored) by their defining qualities, as part of broader ethical guidance on right conduct.