Shloka 40
भृगु–भरद्वाजसंवादः: वर्णभेदस्य कर्माधारितव्याख्या
Bhrigu–Bharadvaja Dialogue: A Karma-Based Account of Varṇa
यदि ब्राह्मण देहस्ते निरातड़को निरामय: । अड्जरननि च समग्राणि न च लोकेषु धिक्कृत:
yadi brāhmaṇa dehas te nirātaṅko nirāmayaḥ | aṅgāni ca samagrāṇi na ca lokeṣu dhikkṛtaḥ ||
Dijo Bhīṣma: «Oh brāhmaṇa, si tu cuerpo está libre de temor y de enfermedad—si todos tus miembros están sanos y no ha surgido defecto alguno—entonces nadie en el mundo puede condenarte con justicia. No eres objeto digno de reproche».
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma links moral/social blame to demonstrable fault: if a person is untroubled, healthy, and unimpaired—i.e., not showing signs of wrongdoing or disorder—then public condemnation lacks basis. The verse emphasizes restraint in reproach and the idea that censure should be grounded in clear cause.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction, Bhīṣma addresses a brāhmaṇa and reassures him: if he is physically and outwardly unimpaired and not marked by any defect, society cannot legitimately treat him as blameworthy. The statement functions as counsel about reputation, judgment, and the conditions under which reproach is warranted.