Shloka 16

Kārtavīrya–Samudra Saṃvāda and the Jāmadagnya Precedent (आश्वमेधिक पर्व, अध्याय २९)

Devanagari script

एवं ते द्रविडा55भीरा: पुण्ड्राश्न शबरै: सह । वृषलत्वं परिगता व्युत्थानात्‌ क्षत्रधर्मिण:,इस प्रकार द्रविड, आभीर, पुण्ड्र और शबरोंके सहवासमें रहकर वे क्षत्रिय होते हुए भी धर्म-त्यागके कारण शूद्रकी अवस्थामें पहुँच गये

Transliteration

evaṁ te draviḍābhīrāḥ puṇḍrāś ca śabaraiḥ saha | vṛṣalatvaṁ parigatā vyutthānāt kṣatradharmiṇaḥ ||

Translation

Так те кшатрии, живя в общении с дравидами, абхирами, пундрами и шабарами, — хотя и были кшатриями, — из-за отказа от должного усердия и дисциплины кшатрийской дхармы пали в состояние вришал (vṛṣala).

Word by Word

एवम्thus, in this manner

तेthey

द्रविडाःDravidas

आभीराःAbhiras

पुण्ड्राःPundras

शबरैःwith the Shabaras

सहtogether with

वृषलत्वम्the state of being a śūdra/outcaste (vṛṣala-hood)

परिगताःhaving reached, having fallen into

व्युत्थानात्from neglect/abandonment (of proper conduct); from deviation

क्षत्रधर्मिणःthough following/possessing kṣatriya-dharma; being kṣatriyas by duty

Speaker

समुद्र उवाच

Characters & Entities

Samudra (the Ocean, speaker)

Draviḍas

Ābhīras

Puṇḍras

Śabaras

Kṣatriyas

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames social and ethical decline as a consequence of abandoning one’s prescribed duty and disciplined effort (vyutthāna) in kṣatriya-dharma; neglect of dharma leads to loss of status and moral standing.

What is happening in the narrative?

Samudra (the Ocean) explains how certain Kṣatriya groups, by prolonged association and assimilation with various peoples and by giving up the active practice of Kṣatriya conduct, came to be regarded as having fallen into a degraded condition (vṛṣalatva).