Shloka 21
Śakra–Śambara Saṃvāda: Brāhmaṇa-sevā, Anasūyā, and Vāg-bala (शक्रशम्बरसंवादः)
शका यवनकाम्बोजास्तास्ता: क्षत्रियजातय: । वृषलत्वं परिगता ब्राह्मणानामदर्शनात्,शक, यवन और काम्बोज आदि जातियाँ पहले क्षत्रिय ही थीं; किंतु ब्राह्मणोंकी कृपादृष्टिसे वज्चित होनेके कारण उन्हें वृषल (शूद्र एवं म्लेच्छ) होना पड़ा
śakā yavanakāmbojās tāstāḥ kṣatriyajātayaḥ | vṛṣalatvaṃ parigatā brāhmaṇānām adarśanāt ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Kaum Śaka, Yavana, Kāmboja dan bangsa-bangsa seumpamanya pada asalnya daripada keturunan kṣatriya. Namun, setelah kehilangan bimbingan dan kehadiran yang memelihara daripada para Brāhmaṇa, mereka jatuh ke keadaan vṛṣala—dianggap merosot dan berada di luar tertib ortodoks.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents a normative dharma view that social standing is sustained by adherence to Vedic-orthodox guidance; when communities lose the regulating influence of Brāhmaṇas (teaching, rites, and discipline), they are portrayed as slipping from kṣatriya status into vṛṣala standing.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction on dharma, he cites frontier or foreign-designated groups (Śakas, Yavanas, Kāmbojas) as examples: though said to have been kṣatriyas originally, they are described as later regarded as vṛṣalas because they lacked continued association with Brāhmaṇas.