Shloka 3236
अन्नदान-प्रशंसा (Praise of the Gift of Food) | Annadāna-Praśaṃsā
वैश्यो राजन्यमित्येव शूद्रो वैश्यमिति श्रुति: । राजन! अब मैं तुम्हें सनातन कालका धार्मिक व्यवहार कैसा है
vaiśyo rājanyam ityeva śūdro vaiśyam iti śrutiḥ | rājann, adhunāhaṃ tvāṃ sanātana-kālasya dhārmika-vyavahāraṃ yathāvad vakṣyāmi | śrutaṃ hi naḥ pūrva-kāle kṣatriyā brāhmaṇān, vaiśyāḥ kṣatriyān, śūdrā vaiśyān sevamānā āsan |
ພີດສະມະກ່າວວ່າ: «ຄໍາສອນໃນສຣຸຕິກ່າວວ່າ: ‘ໄວສະຍະຮັບໃຊ້ກະສັດຕຣິຍະ ແລະ ຊູດຣະຮັບໃຊ້ໄວສະຍະ.’ ໂອ ພຣະຣາຊາ, ບັດນີ້ຂ້າພະເຈົ້າຈະອະທິບາຍໃຫ້ທ່ານຮູ້ວ່າ ຈັນຍາບັນອັນຊອບທໍາໃນລະບຽບສະນາຕະນະແຕ່ໂບຮານເປັນແນວໃດ. ພວກເຮົາໄດ້ຍິນວ່າ ໃນການກ່ອນໆ ກະສັດຕຣິຍະຮັບໃຊ້ພຣາຫມັນ, ໄວສະຍະຮັບໃຊ້ກະສັດຕຣິຍະ, ແລະ ຊູດຣະຮັບໃຊ້ໄວສະຍະ».
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma frames dharma as a time-honored social ethic grounded in received tradition (śruti), describing an idealized hierarchy of mutual obligations expressed through service: Kṣatriyas supporting Brāhmaṇas, Vaiśyas supporting Kṣatriyas, and Śūdras supporting Vaiśyas.
In the Anuśāsana Parva dialogue, Bhīṣma continues instructing King Yudhiṣṭhira on righteous conduct. Here he introduces an account of ancient customary practice regarding how the four varṇas related through service, presenting it as something ‘heard’ from tradition.