Shloka 7
Adhyāya 189: Japa—Inquiry into the Jāpaka, Method
Vidhi), and Fruit (Phala
काम: क्रोधो भयं लोभ: शोकझश्िन्ता क्षुधा श्रम: । सर्वेषां नः प्रभवति कस्माद् वर्णो विभिद्यते
kāmaḥ krodho bhayaṁ lobhaḥ śokaś cintā kṣudhā śramaḥ | sarveṣāṁ naḥ prabhavati kasmād varṇo vibhidyate ||
Bharadvāja dit : « Désir, colère, peur, avidité, chagrin, inquiétude, faim et fatigue naissent en nous tous de la même manière. Si ces élans et ces peines touchent chacun pareillement, sur quel fondement dit-on que les varṇa diffèrent ? »
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bharadvāja argues that fundamental human drives and vulnerabilities—desire, anger, fear, greed, grief, anxiety, hunger, and fatigue—are common to all people; therefore, mere birth-based distinctions of varṇa require justification beyond shared human nature.
In Śānti Parva’s reflective discourse on dharma and social order, Bharadvāja poses a probing question about the basis of varṇa-difference, challenging assumptions by pointing to universal human experiences.