Shloka 96

Taḍāga-Phala and Vṛkṣāropaṇa

Merit of Ponds and Tree-Planting

Devanagari script

[सिवासे शूद्रोंकी परम गति, शौचाचार, सदाचार तथा वर्णधर्मका कथन एवं संन्यासियोंके धर्मोका वर्णन और उससे उनको परम गतिकी प्राप्ति] युधिछिर उवाच शूद्राणामिह शुश्रूषा नित्यमेवानुवर्णिता । कै: कारणै: कतिविधा शुश्रूषा समुदाह्वता ।।

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca |

śūdrāṇām iha śuśrūṣā nityam evānvarṇitā |

kaiḥ kāraṇaiḥ katividhā śuśrūṣā samudāhṛtā ||

ke ca śuśrūṣayā lokā vihitā bharatarṣabha |

śūdrāṇāṃ bharataśreṣṭha brūhi me dharmalakṣaṇam ||

bhīṣma uvāca |

atrāpy udāharantīmam itihāsaṃ purātanam |

śūdrāṇām anukampārthaṃ yad uktaṃ brahmavādinā ||

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira perguntou: “Ó Pitāmaha, neste mundo o serviço (śuśrūṣā) é constantemente descrito como o dever supremo dos Śūdras—o serviço prestado aos duas-vezes-nascidos. Por que razões esse serviço é ensinado, e em quantas formas se diz que ele existe? E que mundos (destinos) são atribuídos aos Śūdras por meio de tal serviço? Ó touro entre os Bharatas, ó melhor dos Bharatas, explica-me os sinais definidores desse dharma.” Bhīṣma disse: “Também sobre isso citam um relato antigo—o que foi dito por um Brahmavādin (um mestre devotado a Brahman) por compaixão pelos Śūdras.”

Word by Word

• युधिष्ठिरः: Yudhiṣṭhira
• युधिष्ठिरः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधिष्ठिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), 3rd, Singular

• शूद्राणाम्: of Śūdras
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• इह: here, in this world
• इह: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह

• शुश्रूषा: service, attendance
• शुश्रूषा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुश्रूषा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• नित्यम्: always
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्य (प्रातिपदिक)

• एव: indeed, only
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• अनुवर्णिता: has been described
• Type: Verb
• Root: अनु-वर्ण् (धातु) → अनुवर्णित (कृदन्त)
• Form: Passive, Past participle (kta), Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• कैः: by what (causes/means)
• कैः: Karana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• कारणैः: by reasons/causes
• कारणैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कारण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• कति-विदा: of how many kinds
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कति (अव्यय/संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + विधा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• शुश्रूषा: service
• शुश्रूषा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुश्रूषा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• समुदाह्वता: has been declared/called
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-उद्-आह्वा (धातु) → समुदाह्वत (कृदन्त)
• Form: Passive, Past participle (kta), Feminine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Bhīṣma
• Śūdras
• Dvijas (twice-born; implied)
• Bharata lineage (Bharatarṣabha, Bharataśreṣṭha)
• Brahmavādin (unnamed here; later tradition identifies Parāśara in the extended passage)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The passage frames śuśrūṣā—disciplined, respectful service—as a central dharma for Śūdras, and asks for its rationale, its classifications, and the spiritual/post-mortem outcomes (lokas) said to follow from it. Bhīṣma signals that the answer will be grounded in an authoritative ancient narrative spoken compassionately for Śūdras.

What is happening in the narrative?

Yudhiṣṭhira questions Bhīṣma about why service to the twice-born is repeatedly taught for Śūdras and what it yields. Bhīṣma begins his reply by invoking an old itihāsa (illustrative tradition) attributed to a brahmavādin teacher, setting up a longer didactic discourse that follows.