Shloka 25

Adhyāya 208: Aṅgirasī-kanyāḥ

Enumeration of Aṅgiras’ daughters and attribute-names

Devanagari script

कर्म शूद्रे कृषिर्वैंश्ये संग्राम: क्षत्रिये स्मृत: । ब्रह्मचर्य तपो मन्त्रा: सत्यं च ब्राह्मणे सदा,शूद्रका कर्तव्य है सेवा-कर्म, वैश्यका कार्य है खेती और युद्ध करना क्षत्रियका कर्म माना गया है। ब्रह्मचर्य, तपस्या, मन्त्र-जप, वेदाध्ययन तथा सत्यईभाषण--ये सदा ब्राह्मणके पालन करनेयोग्य धर्म हैं

Transliteration

karma śūdre kṛṣir vaiśye saṅgrāmaḥ kṣatriye smṛtaḥ | brahmacaryaṁ tapo mantrāḥ satyaṁ ca brāhmaṇe sadā ||

Translation

The hunter said: “Service and labor are prescribed as the work of the Śūdra; agriculture and trade are the livelihood of the Vaiśya; and battle is remembered as the duty of the Kṣatriya. For the Brāhmaṇa, however, the constant disciplines are celibate conduct, austerity, sacred recitation, and truthfulness.” In this teaching, social roles are framed as ethical obligations (dharma), emphasizing steadiness in one’s appointed duties and inner virtues—especially truth—as the foundation of righteous life.

Word by Word

• {'karma': 'work

• prescribed occupation', 'śūdra': 'member of the Śūdra order

• servant/laborer class in varṇa framework', 'kṛṣi': 'agriculture

• cultivation', 'vaiśya': 'member of the Vaiśya order

• agriculturist/trader', 'saṅgrāma': 'battle

• armed conflict', 'kṣatriya': 'member of the Kṣatriya order

• ruler/warrior', 'smṛtaḥ': 'is remembered/declared (by tradition)

• is prescribed', 'brahmacarya': 'celibate discipline

• regulated conduct', 'tapas': 'austerity

• disciplined effort', 'mantrāḥ': 'sacred formulas

• mantra-practice', 'satya': 'truth

• integrity in speech and conduct', 'brāhmaṇa (brāhmaṇe)': 'member of the Brāhmaṇa order

• priestly/teaching class (locative: ‘for/in the brāhmaṇa’)', 'sadā': 'always

Speaker

व्याध उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vyādha (the hunter)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse outlines varṇa-based duties and virtues: each social role has its prescribed work, while the Brāhmaṇa is especially bound to disciplines like brahmacarya, tapas, mantra-recitation, and unwavering truthfulness—presenting dharma as both outer responsibility and inner moral restraint.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Vana Parva’s dialogue context, the hunter (Vyādha) instructs a listener on dharma, using a traditional classification of duties to emphasize that righteousness is maintained by faithfully performing one’s role and cultivating virtues such as truth.