Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 39
तीर्थवंशोपदेशः
Tīrtha-vaṃśa Upadeśa: Instruction on the Fruits of Sacred Waters
जातकर्मादिका: सर्वास्त्रिषु वर्णेषु भारत । ब्र्मक्षत्रे हि मन्त्रोक्ता वैश्यस्य च युधिष्ठिर
jātakarmādikāḥ sarvāstrīṣu varṇeṣu bhārata | brahmakṣatre hi mantroktā vaiśyasya ca yudhiṣṭhira ||
भीष्म ने कहा—हे भरतवंशी युधिष्ठिर! तीनों द्विज-वर्णों में जातकर्म आदि समस्त संस्कारों का विधान है। ब्राह्मण, क्षत्रिय और वैश्य—इन तीनों के संस्कार वेद-मन्त्रों के उच्चारण सहित ही विधिपूर्वक होने चाहिए।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that the classical life-cycle sacraments (saṃskāras), starting with jātakarma, are prescribed for the three twice-born varṇas—Brahmin, Kshatriya, and Vaishya—and that these rites should be performed with Vedic mantra-recitation, emphasizing ritual propriety as part of dharma.
In the Anushasana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhishma continues advising King Yudhishthira about duties and norms. Here he specifies who is entitled/obligated to perform the saṃskāras and how—namely, with mantras—for the three varṇas he lists.