Shloka 23

Cāturāśramya-dharma—Marks of the Four Āśramas (चातुराश्रम्यधर्मः)

Devanagari script

मान्धातोवाच दृश्यन्ते मानुषे लोके सर्ववर्णेषु दस्यव: । लिज्ान्तरे वर्तमाना आश्रमेषु चतुर्ष्वपि

Transliteration

māndhātovāca dṛśyante mānuṣe loke sarvavarṇeṣu dasyavaḥ | liṅgāntare vartamānā āśrameṣu caturṣv api ||

Translation

Māndhātā disse: “No mundo dos homens, veem-se ladrões e fora-da-lei em todas as varṇa (ordens sociais). Mesmo vivendo sob os sinais exteriores de outras identidades, eles circulam também pelos quatro āśrama (estágios da vida).”

Word by Word

मान्धातोःof Māndhātṛ

उवाचsaid/spoke

दृश्यन्तेare seen/appear

मानुषेin the human

लोकेworld

सर्ववर्णेषुamong all varṇas (social classes)

दस्यवःrobbers/outlaws

लिङ्गान्तरेin another guise/mark (i.e., disguised)

वर्तमानाliving/behaving (as)

आश्रमेषुin the āśramas (stages of life)

चतुर्षुin (all) four

अपिalso/even

चand

Speaker

इन्द्र उवाच

Characters & Entities

Māndhātā

mānuṣa-loka (human world)

varṇa (social orders)

dasyu (robbers)

āśrama (four stages of life)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

External status—whether varṇa or āśrama—does not guarantee virtue; unethical people can hide behind respectable identities, so dharma must be judged by conduct rather than mere appearance.

What is happening in the narrative?

Māndhātā observes that criminals and exploiters exist across society and can even masquerade within the four āśramas, raising a concern about discerning true righteousness amid social and religious forms.