Śuka’s Guṇa-Transcendence and Vyāsa’s Consolation (शुकगति-वर्णनम्)
वर्णप्रवरमुख्यासि ब्राह्मणी क्षत्रियस्त्वहम् । नावयोरेकयोगो<स्ति मा कृथा वर्णसंकरम्
varṇapravaramukhyāsi brāhmaṇī kṣatriyastvaham | nāvayorekayogo 'sti mā kṛthā varṇasaṅkaram ||
Parmi les jeunes filles les plus éminentes et les plus illustres de la classe des brahmanes, tu es la première. Tu es une femme brahmane, et moi un kshatriya ; dès lors, une union entre nous n’est pas convenable. Ne fais pas naître la faute appelée « varṇa-saṅkara », le mélange des ordres sociaux.
जनक उवाच
Janaka emphasizes restraint and adherence to dharma as he understands it: despite admiration, he refuses a cross-varṇa union, warning against the socially and ethically censured consequence termed varṇa-saṅkara.
In a dialogue within Śānti Parva, King Janaka addresses a Brahmin maiden, praising her eminence but declining union with her on the grounds that she is brāhmaṇī while he is kṣatriya, and he cautions her not to cause varṇa-saṅkara.