Shloka 34
भृगु–भरद्वाजसंवादः: वर्णभेदस्य कर्माधारितव्याख्या
Bhrigu–Bharadvaja Dialogue: A Karma-Based Account of Varṇa
पाणिमन्तो बलवन्तो धनवन्तो न संशय: । मनुष्या मानुषैरेव दासत्वमुपपादिता:,“जिनके दोनों हाथ बने हुए हैं, निस्संदेह वे ही बलवान् और धनवान हैं। मनुष्योंको तो मनुष्योंने ही दास बना रखा है
pāṇimanto balavanto dhanavanto na saṁśayaḥ | manuṣyā mānuṣaireva dāsatvam upapāditāḥ ||
Bhishma disse: «Aqueles que têm mãos (isto é, capacidade de trabalhar e agir) são, sem dúvida, os verdadeiramente fortes e os verdadeiramente ricos. Pois são os próprios seres humanos, e só eles, que reduzem outros seres humanos à servidão.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Strength and wealth are grounded in human agency—symbolized by “hands,” the capacity to work and act. Bhīṣma also stresses moral causality in society: servitude is not fated by nature alone but is created by human actions and social arrangements, making humans responsible for both oppression and its remedy.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and social conduct, Bhīṣma delivers reflective counsel, highlighting how power and economic status arise from human capability and how social bondage is imposed by people upon people, framing the issue as an ethical and societal responsibility.