Shloka 22
Puṣkara-Śapatha Itihāsa (Agastya–Indra Dispute at the Tīrthas) | पुष्कर-शपथ-आख्यानम्
सर्वेषामथ तेषां तु गण्डा भूत् कर्मकारिका । शूद्र: पशुसखश्वैव भर्ता चास्या बभूव ह
sarveṣām atha teṣāṁ tu gaṇḍā bhūt karmakārikā | śūdraḥ paśusakhaś caiva bhartā cāsyā babhūva ha ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Alors, parmi tous ces gens, Gaṇḍā devint une femme de labeur, vivant d’un service manuel. Et un Śūdra — celui qui gardait les bêtes — devint aussi son époux.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse situates a character’s life within social and occupational categories, highlighting how livelihood (work) and marriage are narrated as part of one’s worldly station—often used in the Anuśāsana Parva to frame discussions of dharma, conduct, and social norms.
Bhīṣma continues a descriptive account: Gaṇḍā is said to have become a laboring woman, and a Śūdra who tended animals is stated to have become her husband.