Shloka 27
Āśrama-dharma: Duties of the Four Life-Stages (आश्रमधर्मः)
वैश्ये चेच्छति नान्येन रक्षितव्या: कथंचन । शूद्रस्यापि हि यो धर्मस्तं ते वक्ष्यामि भारत
vaiśye cecchati nānyena rakṣitavyāḥ kathaṃcana | śūdrasyāpi hi yo dharmas taṃ te vakṣyāmi bhārata ||
Bhishma berkata: “Selama seorang Vaiśya masih berkehendak menjalankan pekerjaan memelihara dan melindungi ternak, pemilik tidak boleh, dengan cara apa pun, menyuruh orang lain mengerjakannya. Wahai Bhārata, kini akan kukatakan pula dharma yang menjadi kewajiban Śūdra.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma frames varṇa-based duty as a matter of respecting a person’s rightful work: if a Vaiśya is willing to perform cattle-tending/protection, the task should not be reassigned to others. He then transitions to explaining the Śūdra’s dharma, continuing his systematic account of social duties.
In Śānti Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and governance after the war. Here he concludes a point about the Vaiśya’s role (especially cattle-related responsibility) and signals the next topic: the prescribed duties of the Śūdra.