Shloka 19
Aśvatthāmā’s Buddhi-Doctrine and Nocturnal Incursion Resolve (अश्वत्थाम्नः बुद्धिविचारः सौप्तिकसंकल्पश्च)
ब्राह्मणे वेदमग्रयं तु क्षत्रिये तेज उत्तमम् दाक्ष्यं वैश्ये च शूद्रे च सर्ववर्णानुकूलताम्
brāhmaṇe vedam agryaṁ tu kṣatriye teja uttamam | dākṣyaṁ vaiśye ca śūdre ca sarvavarṇānukūlatām ||
ब्राह्मण में वेद का सर्वोच्च धन, क्षत्रिय में उत्तम तेज, वैश्य में कार्य-कौशल, और शूद्र में सब वर्णों के अनुकूल चलने की वृत्ति—ये गुण स्थापित किए गए।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse articulates a varṇa-based model of dharma: each social order is characterized by a distinctive excellence—Vedic knowledge for brāhmaṇas, valorous splendor for kṣatriyas, practical skill for vaiśyas, and supportive compatibility/service for śūdras—presented as complementary functions that uphold societal stability.
Sañjaya is describing principles of social and ethical order (varṇa-dharma) within the Sauptika Parva’s aftermath of nocturnal violence, contrasting an ideal distribution of virtues with the disorder and moral rupture produced by the war’s final atrocities.