Shloka 33
श्रेयो-धर्मकर्मविचारः
Inquiry into Śreyas, Dharma, and Karma
“वे सारी बावड़ियाँ पाँच सौ योजन चौड़ी
ṣaḍ jīvavarṇāḥ paramaṃ pramāṇaṃ kṛṣṇo dhūmro nīlam athāsya madhyam | raktaṃ punaḥ sahātaraṃ sukhaṃ tu hāridravarṇaṃ susukhaṃ ca śuklam ||
Bhīṣma dit : «On décrit les êtres comme ayant six “types de couleur” (varṇa) : noir, enfumé, bleu, rouge, jaune (teinte de curcuma) et blanc. Parmi eux, les types noir, enfumé et bleu sont liés à un bonheur moyen. Le type rouge est dit plus supportable dans l’expérience. Le type jaune est agréable et dispensateur de joie, tandis que le blanc est souverainement agréable.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma presents a graded typology of beings by ‘color’ to indicate differing inner qualities and resulting experiences of happiness. The implicit ethical lesson is that one’s disposition and conduct shape one’s lived condition, and that mere passage of time does not end saṃsāra—only right knowledge and transformation can.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction section, Bhīṣma is teaching Yudhiṣṭhira about the nature of beings and the moral-spiritual order. Here he classifies creatures into six color-types and links them to degrees of happiness, as part of a broader discourse on how bondage persists and how higher states are attained.