Shloka 3
Brāhmaṇa-Dharma, Āśrama Eligibility, and the Primacy of Rāja-Dharma (Śānti Parva 63)
भीष्मजीने कहा--प्रभो! भरतवंशावतंस युधिष्ठिर! चारों आश्रम ब्राह्मणोंके लिये ही विहित हैं। अन्य तीनों वर्णोके लोग उन सभी आश्रमोंका अनुसरण नहीं करते हैं ।।
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | uktāni karmāṇi bahūni rājan svargyāṇi rājanyaparāyaṇāni | nemāni dṛṣṭāntavidhau smṛtāni kṣātre hi sarvaṃ vihitaṃ yathāvat ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “O King, many acts are taught that lead to heaven—acts chiefly associated with the warrior’s calling. Yet these are not to be held up as exemplary models for all in the manner of universal precedents; for in the case of the Kṣatriya, the scriptures lay down a complete and fitting code of conduct, including duties that may involve violence, such as warfare.”
युधिषछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is role-sensitive: some heaven-leading duties—especially those involving force, like warfare—are prescribed for Kṣatriyas and cannot automatically be treated as universal moral exemplars for all varṇas, particularly not as models for Brahmins.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Yudhiṣṭhira frames the distinction between general moral exemplars and class-specific prescriptions, emphasizing that the warrior code includes duties that differ from Brahmin ideals.