Shloka 43

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मणा ब्राह्मणा: सृष्टा मुखात्‌ क्षत्रं च बाहुत:

Transliteration

brahmaṇā brāhmaṇāḥ sṛṣṭā mukhāt kṣatraṃ ca bāhutaḥ

Translation

Śalya berkata: “Oleh Brahmā, para brāhmaṇa dicipta dari mulut, dan kṣatra (golongan pahlawan) dari lengan.”

Word by Word

ब्रह्मणाby Brahman / by the Creator

ब्राह्मणाःBrahmins

सृष्टाःcreated

मुखात्from (the) mouth

क्षत्रम्the Kshatra (warrior class)

चand

बाहुतःfrom (the) arm(s)

Speaker

शल्य उवाच

Characters & Entities

Śalya

Brahmā

Brāhmaṇas

Kṣatra (Kṣatriyas)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse invokes the traditional doctrine of varna-based duties: brāhmaṇas are associated with speech, learning, and guidance (symbolized by the mouth), while kṣatriyas are associated with strength, protection, and rule (symbolized by the arms). The implied ethical point is that social roles carry distinct responsibilities that should be upheld, particularly in times of conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

Śalya is speaking within the Karṇa Parva’s battlefield discourse. By citing the origin of brāhmaṇas and kṣatriyas from Brahmā, he frames an argument about proper conduct and duty, using a well-known cosmological-social model to comment on how warriors and counselors ought to act amid the pressures of war.