Shanti Parva Adhyaya 190 Shloka 8 - Mahabharata | Lao | Vedapath

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Shloka 8

Jāpakānāṃ Gatiḥ — The Destinies of Japa-Practitioners (Śānti Parva 12.190)

Devanagari script

शूट्रे चैतद्धवेल्लक्ष्यं द्विजे तच्च न विद्यते | न वै शूद्रो भवेच्छूद्रो ब्राह्मणो न च ब्राह्मण:

Transliteration

śūdre caitad bhavel lakṣyaṃ dvije tac ca na vidyate | na vai śūdro bhavec chūdro brāhmaṇo na ca brāhmaṇaḥ ||

Translation

ພາຣະດວາຊະ ກ່າວວ່າ: ຖ້າໝາຍລັກສະນະເຫຼົ່ານີ້ປາກົດໃນຊູດຣະ ແລະ ບໍ່ປາກົດໃນຜູ້ເກີດສອງຄັ້ງ (ທະວິຊະ), ແລ້ວຜູ້ນັ້ນບໍ່ແມ່ນຊູດຣະແທ້; ແລະ ອີກຜູ້ໜຶ່ງກໍບໍ່ແມ່ນພຣາຫມະນະແທ້.

Word by Word

शूद्रेin a Shudra

चand

एतत्this (set of qualities/mark)

भवेत्should be / may be

लक्ष्यम्a mark/characteristic (to be observed)

द्विजेin a twice-born (Brahmin etc.)

तत्that (mark/quality)

चand

नnot

विद्यतेis found / exists

नnot

वैindeed

शूद्रःa Shudra (person)

भवेत्would be / should be

शूद्रःa Shudra (in truth)

ब्राह्मणःa Brahmin

नnot

चand

ब्राह्मणःa Brahmin (in truth)

Speaker

भरद्वाज उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bharadvāja

Śūdra

Dvija

Brāhmaṇa

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Varṇa-identities are validated by observable qualities (lakṣaṇa) and conduct, not merely by birth-labels. If the virtues expected of a Brāhmaṇa are absent in a dvija, and present in a Śūdra, then the ethical reality reverses the social designation.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva’s dharma-discourse, Bharadvāja states a criterion-based view of social identity: the ‘marks’ previously listed (virtues/traits) determine who truly deserves the designation of Śūdra or Brāhmaṇa.