Shloka 7
मोक्षोपाय-निर्णयः
Determination of the Means to Liberation
सत्यवानुवाच सर्व एते त्रयो वर्णा: कार्या ब्राह्मणबन्धना: । धर्मपाशनिबद्धानामन्यो>प्येवं चरिष्यति,सत्यवान् बोले--पिताजी! क्षत्रिय, वैश्य तथा शूद्र--इन तीनों वर्णोको ब्राह्मणोंके अधीन कर देना चाहिये। जब चारों वर्णोंके लोग धर्मके बन्धनमें बँधकर उसका पालन करने लगेंगे तो उनकी देखा-देखी दूसरे मनुष्य सूत-मागध आदि भी धर्मका आचरण करेंगे
satyavān uvāca—sarva ete trayo varṇāḥ kāryā brāhmaṇa-bandhanāḥ | dharma-pāśa-nibaddhānām anyo 'py evaṃ cariṣyati ||
Satyavān disse: “Pai, estas três ordens—Kṣatriya, Vaiśya e Śūdra—devem ser mantidas sob a orientação e a contenção dos Brāhmaṇas. Quando os homens dos quatro varṇas estiverem presos pelo ‘laço’ do dharma e viverem em obediência a ele, então também os demais—vendo o exemplo, até grupos como os Sūtas e os Māgadhas—praticarão o dharma.”
इुमत्सेन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes dharma as a binding moral restraint that sustains social order: when the principal varṇas live disciplined by dharma—guided by Brāhmaṇical norms of learning and conduct—others in society will follow by imitation, spreading ethical practice through example.
Satyavān addresses his father and argues for a model of social governance in which Kṣatriyas, Vaiśyas, and Śūdras are kept aligned with Brāhmaṇical guidance; once the four varṇas adhere to dharma, additional groups such as Sūtas and Māgadhas will also adopt dharmic conduct.