Shloka 25
The Appearance of Śrī Nārada and Vyāsa’s Dissatisfaction
Veda-vibhāga and the Need for Bhakti
स्त्रीशूद्रद्विजबन्धूनां त्रयी न श्रुतिगोचरा । कर्मश्रेयसि मूढानां श्रेय एवं भवेदिह । इति भारतमाख्यानं कृपया मुनिना कृतम् ॥ २५ ॥
strī-śūdra-dvijabandhūnāṁ trayī na śruti-gocarā karma-śreyasi mūḍhānāṁ śreya evaṁ bhaved iha iti bhāratam ākhyānaṁ kṛpayā muninā kṛtam
Bagi wanita, śūdra dan para dvija-bandhu, tiga Veda tidak mudah dicapai melalui pendengaran; demi kebajikan tertinggi bagi mereka yang tersesat dalam karma, sang muni dengan belas ihsan menyusun riwayat agung bernama Mahābhārata.
The friends of the twice-born families are those who are born in the families of brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas and vaiśyas, or the spiritually cultured families, but who themselves are not equal to their forefathers. Such descendants are not recognized as such, for want of purificatory achievements. The purificatory activities begin even before the birth of a child, and the seed-giving reformatory process is called garbhādhāna-saṁskāra. One who has not undergone such garbhādhāna-saṁskāra, or spiritual family planning, is not accepted as being of an actual twice-born family. The garbhādhāna-saṁskāra is followed by other purificatory processes, out of which the sacred thread ceremony is one. This is performed at the time of spiritual initiation. After this particular saṁskāra, one is rightly called twice-born. One birth is calculated during the seed-giving saṁskāra, and the second birth is calculated at the time of spiritual initiation. One who has been able to undergo such important saṁskāras can be called a bona fide twice-born.
FAQs
This verse says Vedavyāsa compassionately composed the Mahābhārata to give spiritual and moral guidance to those who could not access the three Vedas directly and were confused about true welfare while engaged in karma.
A dvija-bandhu is someone born in a twice-born (brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya) family but lacking the qualifications and conduct of a true dvija—thus not fit for Vedic study in the traditional sense.
Seek authentic spiritual teaching in a form you can genuinely understand and practice; don’t mistake mere social identity for spiritual qualification, and choose guidance that leads from karma-centered confusion to lasting śreyaḥ (real well-being).