Shloka 36
उपदेशदोषप्रसङ्गः (Upadeśa-doṣa-prasaṅgaḥ) — The Risk of Misapplied Counsel
पुरोहितकुले विप्र आजातो भरतर्षभ । एवं तौ तत्र सम्भूतावुभौ शूद्रमुनी तदा
purohitakule vipra ājāto bharatarṣabha | evaṃ tau tatra sambhūtāv ubhau śūdramunī tadā ||
भीष्म म्हणाले—हे भरतश्रेष्ठ, पुरोहिताच्या कुळात एक ब्राह्मण जन्माला आला. अशा रीतीने त्या वेळी तेथे ते दोघेही उत्पन्न झाले—दोघेही शूद्र-उद्भव मुनि म्हणून प्रसिद्ध होते।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a tension central to the Anuśāsana Parva: spiritual stature (muni-hood) and ethical worth are not reducible to social origin alone. It frames a narrative where birth-status categories and realized wisdom can intersect in unexpected ways.
Bhīṣma addresses the Bharata king and states that a brahmin was born in a purohita lineage, and that, in that same context, two individuals arose who are described as ‘Śūdra-sages,’ setting up a discussion about lineage, status, and the recognition of virtue.