Shloka 7
Jāpakānāṃ Gatiḥ — The Destinies of Japa-Practitioners (Śānti Parva 12.190)
इसी प्रकार जो वेदाध्ययनसे सम्पन्न होकर व्यापार, पशुपालन और खेतीका काम करके अन्न संग्रह करनेकी रुचि रखता है और पवित्र रहता है, वह वैश्य कहलाता है ।।
sarvabhakṣaratir nityaṁ sarvakarmakaro 'śuciḥ | tyaktavedas tv anācāraḥ sa vai śūdra iti smṛtaḥ ||
Bharadvāja berkata: “Namun sesiapa yang meninggalkan pengajian Veda dan tata susila, yang sentiasa terikat pada makan apa sahaja, yang melakukan segala jenis pekerjaan tanpa pertimbangan, serta tidak suci lahir dan batin—orang demikian diingati dalam tradisi sebagai Śūdra.”
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that social classification is tied to dharmic behavior: abandoning Vedic discipline and good conduct, living with habitual impurity, and indulging in indiscriminate consumption are presented as defining marks of a Śūdra in this context.
In Śānti Parva’s didactic setting, Bharadvāja is explaining criteria for varṇa in terms of learning, conduct, and purity. This verse specifically describes the traits by which one is termed a Śūdra according to Smṛti-style ethical definitions.