Shloka 14
Cāturāśramya-dharma—Marks of the Four Āśramas (चातुराश्रम्यधर्मः)
पौण्ड्रा: पुलिन्दा रमठा: काम्बोजाश्ैव सर्वश: । ब्रह्मक्षत्रप्रसूताश्व वैश्या: शूद्राक्ष मानवा:
pauṇḍrāḥ pulindā ramaṭhāḥ kāmbojāś caiva sarvaśaḥ | brahma-kṣatra-prasūtāś ca vaiśyāḥ śūdrāś ca mānavāḥ ||
ອິນທຣະ ກ່າວວ່າ: «ພວກ ເປົານຑຣະ, ປຸລິນທະ, ຣະມະຖະ, ແລະ ກາມໂບຊະ—ຢູ່ທົ່ວໄປ—ພ້ອມທັງຜູ້ທີ່ເກີດຈາກພຣາຫມະນະ ແລະ ກະສັດຕຣິຍະ, ແລະຍັງມີຜູ້ທີ່ຖືກຈັດເປັນ ວັຍສະຍະ ແລະ ຊູດຣະ: ກຸ່ມມະນຸດເຫຼົ່ານີ້ພົບເຫັນໃນບັນດາຊົນຊາຍແດນ. (ຄວາມຫ່ວງໃຍຂອງກະສັດຄື) ຫຼາຍພວກໄດ້ຕົກຈາກທຳ ແລະ ດຳລົງຊີວິດດ້ວຍການລັກ ແລະ ຄວາມຮຸນແຮງ; ດັ່ງນັ້ນຈຶ່ງຖາມວ່າ ຊຸມຊົນເຊັ່ນນີ້ຈະຖືກນຳໃຫ້ເຂົ້າສູ່ຄວາມປະພຶດອັນຊອບທຳໄດ້ແນວໃດ ແລະ ກະສັດຄວນຈັດໃຫ້ພວກເຂົາຢູ່ໃນຂອບເຂດແຫ່ງລະບຽບສັງຄົມ ແລະ ສິນທຳແນວໃດ»
इन्द्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a royal-ethical problem: diverse and socially mixed frontier communities, some viewed as having fallen from dharma, must be guided by the king toward lawful livelihood and moral restraint. It foregrounds the king’s duty to establish order and encourage dharmic conduct rather than allow predation and social breakdown.
Indra is speaking in response to a king’s query (in this chapter’s dialogue) about how to govern populations described as mleccha and socially heterogeneous—descendants of various varṇas—who are said to survive by theft and raiding. The king asks how they can practice dharma and how rulers should keep them within proper limits.