Shloka 26
Karma, Preta-gati, and the Continuity of Phala
Mārkaṇḍeya’s Instruction
यत्रैतल्लक्ष्यते सर्प वृत्तं स ब्राह्मण: स्मृतः । यत्रैतन्न भवेत् सर्प तं शूद्रमिति निर्दिशेत्,युधिष्ठिरने कहा--यदि शूद्रमें सत्य आदि उपर्युक्त लक्षण हैं और ब्राह्मणमें नहीं हैं तो वह शूद्र शूद्र नहीं है और वह ब्राह्मण ब्राह्मण नहीं है। सर्प! जिसमें ये सत्य आदि लक्षण मौजूद हों, वह ब्राह्मण माना गया है और जिसमें इन लक्षणोंका अभाव हो, उसे शूद्र कहना चाहिये
yatra etal lakṣyate sarpa vṛttaṁ sa brāhmaṇaḥ smṛtaḥ | yatra etan na bhavet sarpa taṁ śūdram iti nirdiśet ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “O Serpent, wherever this conduct—marked by the stated signs such as truthfulness and the like—is found, that person is to be regarded as a brāhmaṇa. But where these qualities are absent, O Serpent, one should designate that person a śūdra.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Social designation (brāhmaṇa/śūdra) is grounded in observable ethical conduct—truthfulness and related virtues—rather than merely in name or claim; where such virtues are present one should recognize brāhmaṇa-hood, and where absent one should not.
In a dialogue with a serpent (Nāga), Yudhiṣṭhira responds to questions about dharma and human classification, asserting that the decisive criterion is character and behavior, not external status.