Shloka 36

Kuberasaras-darśana (Bhīma beholds Kubera’s guarded lotus-lake) / कुबेरसरः-दर्शनम्

Devanagari script

शुश्रूषा च द्विजातीनां शूद्राणां धर्म उच्यते । भैक्ष्यहोमव्रतैहीनास्तथैव गुरुवासिता:,ब्राह्मण आदि तीनों वर्णोकी सेवा करना शूद्रोंका धर्म बताया गया है। तीनों वर्णोंकी सेवामें रहनेवाले शूद्रोंके लिये भिक्षा, होम और व्रत मना है

Transliteration

śuśrūṣā ca dvijātīnāṃ śūdrāṇāṃ dharma ucyate | bhaikṣya-homa-vrataiḥ hīnāḥ tathaiva guru-vāsitāḥ ||

Translation

Dijo Vaiśampāyana: El servicio y la atenta asistencia a los nacidos dos veces se declara como el dharma de los Śūdras. Por ello, los Śūdras que viven al servicio de las tres varṇas superiores no están obligados a practicar las disciplinas de la mendicidad, las ofrendas al fuego (homa) ni los votos rituales (vrata).

Word by Word

शुश्रूषाservice, attendance

चand

द्विजातीनाम्of the twice-born (three higher varnas)

शूद्राणाम्of Śūdras

धर्मःduty, dharma

उच्यतेis said/declared

भैक्ष्यby/with begging (alms-seeking)

होमby/with oblations (homa)

व्रतैःby/with vows/observances

हीनाःdevoid of, excluded from

तथाthus, likewise

एवindeed, just

गुरुवासिताःdwelling with/attending on the teacher (guru)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

dvija (twice-born varṇas)

Śūdra

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames śuśrūṣā—attentive service to the twice-born—as the primary dharma for Śūdras, and states that when Śūdras are living in such service (especially in a guru’s household), they are not enjoined to perform practices like bhaikṣya (mendicancy), homa (fire-offerings), and vrata (formal vows).

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana is presenting a dharma-teaching in the Vana Parva context, articulating role-based duties and religious permissions/prohibitions within the classical varṇa framework, rather than describing a battlefield event.