Shloka 47
Āśrama-dharma: Duties of the Four Life-Stages (आश्रमधर्मः)
तस्माद् वर्णा ऋजवो ज्ञातिवर्णा: संसृज्यन्ते तस्य विकार एव । एकं साम यजुरेकमृगेका विप्रश्नैको निश्चये तेषु सृष्ट:
tasmād varṇā ṛjavō jñātivarṇāḥ saṃsṛjyante tasya vikāra eva | ekaṃ sāma yajur ekam ṛg ekā vipraśnaiko niścaye teṣu sṛṣṭaḥ ||
Bhīṣma dit : Ainsi, les varṇa sont droits et, en vérité, parents les uns des autres ; ils naissent comme des transformations d’une source unique. De même que le Sāman, le Yajus et le Ṛk se ramènent à un seul principe sous-jacent et ne sont pas séparés dans leur essence, de même—lorsqu’on examine leur réalité et qu’on tranche sur leur nature véritable—on découvre une unique essence fondamentale se manifestant en tous les varṇa. Dès lors, leur identité la plus profonde est une, et les divisions demeurent secondaires au regard de l’origine commune.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma emphasizes that the varṇas are not ultimately separate in essence: they arise as transformations from a single foundational principle. The ethical implication is to reduce pride and hostility based on birth or social division, recognizing a shared origin and deeper unity.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and social order, Bhīṣma explains to the listener that distinctions among varṇas are secondary. He supports this with a Vedic analogy: just as the three Vedas are expressions grounded in one underlying basis, so the varṇas too can be understood as manifestations of one source when their reality is carefully examined.