Shloka 22
भृगु–भरद्वाजसंवादः: वर्णभेदस्य कर्माधारितव्याख्या
Bhrigu–Bharadvaja Dialogue: A Karma-Based Account of Varṇa
मध्ये वै पापयोनीनां शार्गालीं यामहं गत: । पापीयस्यो बहुतरा इतो<न्या: पापयोनय:
madhye vai pāpayonīnāṃ śārgālīṃ yām ahaṃ gataḥ | pāpīyasy-o bahutarā ito 'nyāḥ pāpayonayaḥ ||
Bhīṣma disse: “Embora o ventre de chacal em que agora caí seja contado entre os nascimentos pecaminosos, há muitos outros ventres pecaminosos ainda mais baixos do que este.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores gradations of moral consequence: even a birth regarded as ‘sinful’ is not the lowest, implying that actions (karma) can lead to progressively worse conditions, and thus one should avoid wrongdoing and cultivate dharma.
Bhīṣma speaks reflectively about having attained a jackal-birth, acknowledging it as a blameworthy state while noting that there exist still lower forms of birth—framing a discussion on karma, ethical decline, and the results of sin.