Shloka 3
अव्यक्त-प्रबोधः (Awakening to the Unmanifest): The 25th and 26th Principles and Eligibility for Brahma-vidyā
पराशर उवाच एवमेतन्महाराज येन जात: स एव सः | तपसस्त्वपकर्षेण जातिग्रहणतां गत:
Parāśara uvāca: evam etan mahārāja yena jātaḥ sa eva saḥ | tapasas tv apakarṣeṇa jātigrahaṇatāṁ gataḥ ||
パラーシャラは言った。「そのとおりである、大王よ。いずこより生まれたかに応じて、その者の性もまた定まる。されど苦行と修養が衰えるとき、人々は下位の境遇に分類され、卑しき出生の位を『帯びる』に至るのだ。」
पराशर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Parāśara affirms that one’s nature aligns with one’s origin, but adds an ethical warning: when tapas (discipline and spiritual effort) diminishes, people fall into inferior conditions and become identified with lower birth-status. The verse links moral/spiritual decline with social degradation.
Parāśara addresses the king and clarifies a point about birth and identity: while it is generally true that a being reflects its source, the decline of austerity alters outcomes, leading to the acquisition of lower social classification. It functions as an explanatory remark within a broader dharma discussion in Śānti Parva.