Shloka 8
Jāpakānāṃ Gatiḥ — The Destinies of Japa-Practitioners (Śānti Parva 12.190)
शूट्रे चैतद्धवेल्लक्ष्यं द्विजे तच्च न विद्यते | न वै शूद्रो भवेच्छूद्रो ब्राह्मणो न च ब्राह्मण:
śūdre caitad bhavel lakṣyaṃ dvije tac ca na vidyate | na vai śūdro bhavec chūdro brāhmaṇo na ca brāhmaṇaḥ ||
Bharadvāja berkata: “Jika tanda-tanda ini terdapat pada seorang Śūdra, dan tidak terdapat pada seorang yang ‘dua kali lahir’ (dvija), maka orang itu bukanlah Śūdra yang sebenar; dan yang satu lagi bukanlah Brāhmaṇa yang sebenar.”
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
Varṇa-identities are validated by observable qualities (lakṣaṇa) and conduct, not merely by birth-labels. If the virtues expected of a Brāhmaṇa are absent in a dvija, and present in a Śūdra, then the ethical reality reverses the social designation.
In Śānti Parva’s dharma-discourse, Bharadvāja states a criterion-based view of social identity: the ‘marks’ previously listed (virtues/traits) determine who truly deserves the designation of Śūdra or Brāhmaṇa.