Shloka 20
Indra–Mataṅga Saṃvāda: On the rarity and responsibilities of Brāhmaṇya (इन्द्र-मतङ्ग संवादः)
मतंग उवाच अन्त्ययोनिरयोनिर्वा कथं स कुशली भवेत् । कुशल तु कुतस्तस्य यस्येयं जननी पित:
Mataṅga uvāca: antyayonir ayonir vā kathaṁ sa kuśalī bhavet | kuśalaṁ tu kutaḥ tasya yasye-yaṁ jananī pitāḥ ||
Mataṅga disse: “Ó pai, como poderia alguém estar verdadeiramente bem ou afortunado se nasce numa condição tida como ‘derradeira’ e desprezada—ou numa ainda mais baixa? De onde viria o bem-estar para quem tem tal origem—mãe e pai—como a sua?”
मतंग उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse voices a common social assumption in the epic world: that a person’s welfare and social standing are constrained by birth and parentage. In the broader ethical discussions of the Anuśāsana-parvan, such statements often function as positions to be examined—inviting reflection on whether virtue and auspiciousness arise from lineage or from conduct (ācāra) and dharma.
Mataṅga addresses his father and raises a pointed question about the possibility of well-being for someone born in a stigmatized or ‘lowest’ birth. The line is part of a dialogue framed as moral inquiry, where social status, origin, and the grounds of true ‘kuśala’ (welfare/auspiciousness) are being debated.