Shloka 32
Bhīṣma on the Śara-Śayyā: Yudhiṣṭhira and Kṛṣṇa Approach the Eldest for Śānti
चातुराश्रम्यसंयुक्ता: सर्वे ते विदितास्तव । चातुर्विद्यि च ये प्रोक्ता श्चातुर्होत्रे च भारत
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
cāturāśramya-saṁyuktāḥ sarve te viditās tava |
cāturvidyāś ca ye proktāś cāturhotre ca bhārata ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O Bhārata, you already know all those duties that are connected with the four āśramas and the four social orders. You also know the principles taught in the four branches of sacred learning, and the responsibilities assigned to the four ritual priests.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames dharma as comprehensive: it spans social-ethical duties (varṇa and āśrama), intellectual authority (the fourfold sacred learning), and ritual responsibility (the four priests). It implies that a well-instructed person should integrate conduct, knowledge, and sacrificial duty.
Vaiśampāyana addresses “Bhārata,” stating that the listener is already familiar with the established teachings on varṇa-āśrama duties, the doctrines taught in the four vidyās, and the prescribed functions of the four Vedic priests—setting a learned baseline before proceeding to further instruction.