Shloka 6

Brāhmaṇa-bheda-nirṇaya and Rājā’s Regulatory Duties (ब्राह्मणभेदनिर्णयः)

Devanagari script

आह्वायका देवलका नाक्षत्रा ग्रामयाजका: । एते ब्राह्णचाण्डाला महापथिकपज्चमा:

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca | āhvāyakā devalakā nākṣatrā grāmayājakāḥ | ete brāhmaṇacāṇḍālā mahāpathikapañcamāḥ ||

Translation

ພີສະມະກ່າວວ່າ: «ຜູ້ຫາກິນໂດຍການໄປເອີ້ນຄົນໃຫ້ຜູ້ອື່ນ (āhvāyaka), ຜູ້ບູຊາໃນເທວະສະຖານດ້ວຍຄ່າຈ້າງ (devalaka), ຜູ້ດຳລົງຊີວິດດ້ວຍວິຊານັກສະຕຣະ/ໂຫລາສາດ (nākṣatra), ພຣາມປະຈຳບ້ານ (grāmayājaka), ແລະ ‘ຊັ້ນທີຫ້າ’ ຄື mahāpathika—ຜູ້ຫາກິນດ້ວຍການເດີນທາງໄກ ແລະການຄ້າທີ່ກ່ຽວຂ້ອງ—ພວກນີ້ ຖືກນັບວ່າເປັນພຣາມທີ່ຕົກຕ່ຳ ເທົ່າກັບຈັນດາລະ»។

Word by Word

• आह्वायकाḥ: summoners; those who call people (for hire)
• आह्वायकाḥ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: आह्वायक
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• देवलकाḥ: temple-priests (serving for wages)
• देवलकाḥ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवलक
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• नाक्षत्राḥ: astrologers; those living by nakshatra-lore
• नाक्षत्राḥ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाक्षत्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• ग्रामयाजकाḥ: village-priests (who officiate for a village)
• ग्रामयाजकाḥ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: ग्रामयाजक
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• एते: these
• एते: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• ब्राह्मणचाण्डालाḥ: Brahmins-and-Chandalas (i.e., Brahmins treated as Chandalas)
• ब्राह्मणचाण्डालाḥ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मणचाण्डाल
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• महापथिकपञ्चमाḥ: as the fifth (category) among great-road travelers (mahāpathikas)
• महापथिकपञ्चमाḥ: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महापथिकपञ्चम
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Brāhmaṇa
• Caṇḍāla
• Deva-mandira (temple) (implied by devalaka)
• Mahāpatha (great road) (implied by mahāpathika)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhishma teaches that Brahmin status is safeguarded by right conduct and appropriate livelihood; when sacred roles become wage-driven, manipulative, or rooted in questionable means (such as professional summoning, hired temple service, or astrology-for-profit), the tradition classifies this as a serious fall in dharma—so severe that such Brahmins are likened to outcastes.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhishma is listing occupations and modes of livelihood considered degrading for Brahmins, warning Yudhiṣṭhira that certain professional practices undermine the ethical and ritual ideals expected of the priestly class.