Shloka 32
बाहुभ्यां क्षत्रियशतं वैश्यानामूरुत: शतम् । पद्धयां शूद्रशतं चैव केशवो भरतर्षभ
bāhubhyāṃ kṣatriyaśataṃ vaiśyānām ūrutaḥ śatam | padbhyāṃ śūdraśataṃ caiva keśavo bharatarṣabha ||
हे भरतश्रेष्ठ! केशव ने अपनी दोनों भुजाओं से सौ क्षत्रियों को, अपनी जाँघों से सौ वैश्यों को और अपने दोनों पैरों से सौ शूद्रों को उत्पन्न किया।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse conveys a traditional, hierarchical model of social organization by mapping varṇas to parts of the divine body, implying differentiated functions and duties within a single ordered whole, framed as a dharma-based vision of society.
Bhīṣma, instructing Yudhiṣṭhira in the Śānti Parva, states that Keśava generated different social groups—Kṣatriyas, Vaiśyas, and Śūdras—from his arms, thighs, and feet, respectively, as part of a broader discourse on social duties and governance.