Shloka 16
Indra–Mataṅga Saṃvāda: On the rarity and responsibilities of Brāhmaṇya (इन्द्र-मतङ्ग संवादः)
कथं मां वेत्सि चण्डालं ब्राह्माण्यं येन नश्यते । तत्त्वेनैतन्महाप्राज्ञे ब्रूहि सर्वमशेषत:
kathaṁ māṁ vetsi caṇḍālaṁ brāhmaṇyaṁ yena naśyate | tattvenaitanmāhāprājñe brūhi sarvamaśeṣataḥ ||
« Comment me reconnais-tu comme un caṇḍāla, celui dont la conduite anéantit jusqu’au statut de brahmane ? Ô grand sage à l’intelligence pénétrante, dis-moi la vérité de cette affaire tout entière, sans rien taire. »
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames brahminhood not as a mere label but as something upheld—or ruined—by conduct. It urges truthful, complete disclosure about the causes that negate ethical and ritual standing, emphasizing that moral identity depends on lived behavior.
Bhīṣma asks a highly discerning interlocutor to explain, in full truth, how he has been identified as a ‘caṇḍāla’—i.e., as someone whose actions undermine brāhmaṇa status—and requests a complete account of the reasons behind that judgment.