Shloka 6
Sadācāra–Varṇa-lakṣaṇa and Prātaḥkṛtya
Right Conduct, Social Typologies, and Morning Purification
ब्रह्मक्षत्रियवैश्यानां शुश्रूषुः शूद्र उच्यते । कर्षको वृषलो ज्ञेय इतरे चैव दस्यवः
brahmakṣatriyavaiśyānāṃ śuśrūṣuḥ śūdra ucyate | karṣako vṛṣalo jñeya itare caiva dasyavaḥ
Aquel que se entrega al servicio (śuśrūṣā) del Brāhmaṇa, del Kṣatriya y del Vaiśya es llamado Śūdra. Al cultivador se le ha de entender como vṛṣala; y a los demás, en verdad, se les llama dasyus.
Not specified in the provided excerpt (narrative speaker cannot be securely identified from this single verse alone).
Tattva Level: pashu
FAQs
They are historically layered socio-religious labels whose meanings shift across genres and periods. In translation, it is best to render them conservatively (often with transliteration plus brief gloss), note their contested and polemical uses, and distinguish descriptive taxonomy within a text from prescriptive ethical ideals found elsewhere (e.g., bhakti’s emphasis on devotion and conduct).