Shloka 13
Cāturāśramya-dharma—Marks of the Four Āśramas (चातुराश्रम्यधर्मः)
मान्धातोवाच यवना: किराता गान्धाराक्षीना: शबरबर्बरा: | शकास्तुषारा: कड्काश्च पह्लवाश्चान्ध्रमद्रका:
māndhātovāca—yavanāḥ kirātā gāndhārāḥ cīnāḥ śabarabarbarāḥ | śakās tuṣārāḥ kaṅkāś ca pahlavāś cāndhramadrakāḥ ||
ມານທາຕາ ກ່າວວ່າ: «ໂອ ພຣະອົງຜູ້ຈະເລີນ! ໃນອານາຈັກຂອງຂ້າພະອົງ ມີຊົນມເລັຈຈະຢູ່ອາໄສທົ່ວທິດ—ຢະວະນະ, ກິຣາຕະ, ຄັນທາຣະ, ຈີນະ, ສະບະຣະ ແລະ ບາບະຣະ; ສະກະ, ຕຸສາຣະ, ກັງກະ, ປະຫລະວະ, ພ້ອມທັງ ອານທຣະ ແລະ ມັດຣະກະ. ໃນພວກເຂົາຍັງມີລູກຫຼານຂອງພຣາຫມະນະ ແລະ ກະສັດຕຣິຍະ; ມີວັຍສະຍະ ແລະ ຊູດຣະບາງພວກທີ່ຕົກຈາກທຳ. ພວກເຂົາທັງໝົດດຳລົງຊີວິດດ້ວຍການລັກ ແລະ ປົ້ນ. ຄົນເຊັ່ນນີ້ຈະປະພຶດທຳໄດ້ແນວໃດ? ແລະ ກະສັດເຊັ່ນຂ້າພະອົງຄວນຈັດໃຫ້ພວກເຂົາຢູ່ໃນຂອບເຂດ ແລະ ວິໄນແນວໃດ?»
इन्द्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a classic rāja-dharma problem: when diverse communities—including those seen as outside Vedic norms and those who have ‘fallen’ from proper conduct—live within a kingdom and survive by crime, the king must find a way to bring them under maryādā (disciplined limits) so that social order and dharma can function.
King Māndhātā addresses Indra, describing the presence of many frontier/foreign peoples and socially degraded groups in his realm, noting their reliance on theft and robbery, and asks how they can be made to practice dharma and how a ruler should regulate and reform them.