Shloka 11

Adhyāya 189: Japa—Inquiry into the Jāpaka, Method

Vidhi), and Fruit (Phala

Devanagari script

कामभोगप्रियास्ती क्ष्णा: क्रोधना: प्रियसाहसा: । त्यक्तस्वधर्मा रक्ताड़ास्ते द्विजा: क्षत्रतां गता:,जो अपने ब्राह्मणोचित धर्मका परित्याग करके विषयभोगके प्रेमी, तीखे स्वभाववाले, क्रोधी और साहसका काम पसंद करनेवाले हो गये और इन्हीं कारणोंसे जिनके शरीरका रंग लाल हो गया, वे ब्राह्मण क्षत्रिय-भावको प्राप्त हुए--क्षत्रिय कहलाने लगे

Transliteration

bharadvāja uvāca | kāmabhogapriyās tīkṣṇāḥ krodhanāḥ priyasāhasāḥ | tyaktasvadharmā raktāṅgās te dvijāḥ kṣatratāṃ gatāḥ ||

Translation

ഭരദ്വാജൻ പറഞ്ഞു— ബ്രാഹ്മണോചിതമായ സ്വധർമ്മം ഉപേക്ഷിച്ച് കാമഭോഗപ്രിയരായി, തീക്ഷ്ണസ്വഭാവികളായി, ക്രോധപരരായി, സാഹസത്തിൽ ആസക്തരായി മാറിയ ദ്വിജന്മാർക്ക് ആ മാറ്റം മൂലം ദേഹവർണ്ണം പോലും ചുവപ്പായി. അവർ ക്ഷത്രിയഭാവം പ്രാപിച്ചു; അതിനാൽ ‘ക്ഷത്രിയർ’ എന്നു വിളിക്കപ്പെട്ടു.

Word by Word

कामभोगप्रियाःfond of sensual pleasures

तीक्ष्णाःsharp/harsh in nature

क्रोधनाःwrathful

प्रियसाहसाःfond of daring/violence

त्यक्तस्वधर्माःhaving abandoned their own duty

रक्ताङ्गाःwhose bodies/limbs were red

तेthose

द्विजाःtwice-born (brahmins)

क्षत्रताम्kshatriya-hood/status of a kshatriya

गताःhaving gone/attained

Speaker

भरद्वाज उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bharadvāja

dvijāḥ (twice-born/Brahmins)

kṣatriya (as a varṇa/state)

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 is presented as tied to conduct: when the twice-born abandon svadharma and become driven by sensuality, anger, and violent daring, they are said to take on the kṣatriya disposition. The ethical point is that character and habitual action reshape one’s social-religious identity.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bharadvāja explains a traditional account of how certain brāhmaṇas, by giving up Brahminical discipline and adopting traits associated with warrior life, came to be regarded as kṣatriyas.