Shloka 32
Brahmacarya-Upāya: Jñāna, Śauca, and the Mind’s Role in Desire (शान्ति पर्व, अध्याय २०७)
बाहुभ्यां क्षत्रियशतं वैश्यानामूरुत: शतम् । पद्धयां शूद्रशतं चैव केशवो भरतर्षभ
bāhubhyāṃ kṣatriyaśataṃ vaiśyānām ūrutaḥ śatam | padbhyāṃ śūdraśataṃ caiva keśavo bharatarṣabha ||
ਹੇ ਭਰਤ-ਸ਼੍ਰੇਸ਼ਠ! ਕੇਸ਼ਵ ਨੇ ਆਪਣੀਆਂ ਦੋਹਾਂ ਬਾਂਹਾਂ ਤੋਂ ਸੌ ਖੱਤਰੀ, ਆਪਣੀਆਂ ਜੰਘਾਂ ਤੋਂ ਸੌ ਵੈਸ਼ ਅਤੇ ਆਪਣੇ ਪੈਰਾਂ ਤੋਂ ਸੌ ਸ਼ੂਦਰ ਉਤਪੰਨ ਕੀਤੇ।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse conveys a traditional, hierarchical model of social organization by mapping varṇas to parts of the divine body, implying differentiated functions and duties within a single ordered whole, framed as a dharma-based vision of society.
Bhīṣma, instructing Yudhiṣṭhira in the Śānti Parva, states that Keśava generated different social groups—Kṣatriyas, Vaiśyas, and Śūdras—from his arms, thighs, and feet, respectively, as part of a broader discourse on social duties and governance.