Shloka 19
Aśvatthāmā’s Buddhi-Doctrine and Nocturnal Incursion Resolve (अश्वत्थाम्नः बुद्धिविचारः सौप्तिकसंकल्पश्च)
ब्राह्मणे वेदमग्रयं तु क्षत्रिये तेज उत्तमम् दाक्ष्यं वैश्ये च शूद्रे च सर्ववर्णानुकूलताम्,4े ब्राह्मणमें सर्वोत्तम वेद, क्षत्रियमें उत्तम तेज, वैश्यमें व्यापारकुशलता तथा शूद्रमें सब वर्णोके अनुकूल चलनेकी वृत्तिको स्थापित कर देते हैं
brāhmaṇe vedam agryaṁ tu kṣatriye teja uttamam | dākṣyaṁ vaiśye ca śūdre ca sarvavarṇānukūlatām ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Pada brāhmaṇa, Baginda menegakkan khazanah Veda yang paling utama; pada kṣatriya, Baginda menegakkan sinar kemuliaan dan kegagahan tertinggi; pada vaiśya, Baginda menegakkan kecekapan praktis dan kemahiran berniaga; dan pada śūdra, Baginda menegakkan kecenderungan untuk bertindak selaras serta berkhidmat kepada semua varṇa.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse articulates a varṇa-based model of dharma: each social order is characterized by a distinctive excellence—Vedic knowledge for brāhmaṇas, valorous splendor for kṣatriyas, practical skill for vaiśyas, and supportive compatibility/service for śūdras—presented as complementary functions that uphold societal stability.
Sañjaya is describing principles of social and ethical order (varṇa-dharma) within the Sauptika Parva’s aftermath of nocturnal violence, contrasting an ideal distribution of virtues with the disorder and moral rupture produced by the war’s final atrocities.