Adhyāya 189: Japa—Inquiry into the Jāpaka, Method
Vidhi), and Fruit (Phala
हिंसानृतप्रिया लुब्धा: सर्वकर्मोपजीविन: । कृष्णा: शौचपरिभ्रष्टास्ते द्विजा: शूद्रतां गता:
hiṃsānṛtapriyā lubdhāḥ sarvakarmopajīvinaḥ | kṛṣṇāḥ śaucaparibhraṣṭās te dvijāḥ śūdratāṃ gatāḥ ||
Bharadvāja berkata: Para dwija yang menyimpang dari kesucian dan kelakuan baik, menjadi pencinta kekerasan dan dusta, dan karena loba mencari nafkah dari segala pekerjaan yang tercela—mereka menjadi ‘menghitam’ oleh noda moral dan turun ke keadaan śūdra.
भरद्वाज उवाच
Status as ‘twice-born’ is upheld by śauca (purity) and ācāra (right conduct). When one embraces violence, falsehood, greed, and censured livelihoods, one undergoes moral and social degradation—described here as falling into śūdratā.
In a didactic passage of the Śānti Parva, Bharadvāja explains how deviation from ethical discipline causes the decline of dvijas, portraying their fall through traits like hiṃsā, anṛta, and indiscriminate blameworthy work, culminating in the notion of becoming śūdra-like.