Shloka 3
Rājapurohita-lakṣaṇa and Purūravas–Vāyu Saṃvāda
Varṇa, Sovereignty, and Abhaya-dāna
पुरूरवा उवाच कुतःस्विद् ब्राह्मणो जातो वर्णाश्वापि कुतस्त्रय: । कस्माच्च भवति श्रेष्ठस्तन्मे व्याख्यातुमहसि
purūravā uvāca kutaḥ svid brāhmaṇo jāto varṇāś cāpi kutaḥ trayaḥ | kasmāc ca bhavati śreṣṭhas tan me vyākhyātum arhasi ||
プルーラヴァスは言った。「風神ヴァーユよ、ブラーフマナは何から生まれたのか。ほかの三つのヴァルナは何から生じたのか。さらに、なぜブラーフマナがその中で最も尊いと見なされるのか。どうか私に明らかに説き示してほしい。」
पुरूरवा उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharmic inquiry into the origins and relative status of the varṇas, especially the rationale by which the Brāhmaṇa is called ‘foremost’; it sets up an ethical-theological explanation rather than asserting it directly.
King Purūravas respectfully questions a divine interlocutor (commonly understood here as Vāyu) about how the Brāhmaṇa and the other three varṇas originated and why the Brāhmaṇa is regarded as superior, requesting a clear exposition.