Shloka 40
भृगु–भरद्वाजसंवादः: वर्णभेदस्य कर्माधारितव्याख्या
Bhrigu–Bharadvaja Dialogue: A Karma-Based Account of Varṇa
यदि ब्राह्मण देहस्ते निरातड़को निरामय: । अड्जरननि च समग्राणि न च लोकेषु धिक्कृत:,'ब्राह्मगदेव! यदि आपका शरीर निर्भय और नीरोग है, आपके सारे अंग ठीक हैं, किसीमें कोई विकार नहीं आया है तो लोकमें कोई भी आपको धिक्कार नहीं सकता-- आप धिक्ककारके पात्र नहीं हो सकते
yadi brāhmaṇa dehas te nirātaṅko nirāmayaḥ | aṅgāni ca samagrāṇi na ca lokeṣu dhikkṛtaḥ ||
ภีษมะกล่าวว่า “โอ พราหมณ์ หากกายของท่านปลอดจากความหวาดหวั่นและโรคภัย อวัยวะทั้งปวงสมบูรณ์และมิได้เกิดความบกพร่องใด ๆ แล้ว ในโลกนี้ก็ไม่มีผู้ใดจะตำหนิติเตียนท่านได้โดยชอบ ท่านมิใช่ผู้ควรถูกกล่าวโทษ”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma links moral/social blame to demonstrable fault: if a person is untroubled, healthy, and unimpaired—i.e., not showing signs of wrongdoing or disorder—then public condemnation lacks basis. The verse emphasizes restraint in reproach and the idea that censure should be grounded in clear cause.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction, Bhīṣma addresses a brāhmaṇa and reassures him: if he is physically and outwardly unimpaired and not marked by any defect, society cannot legitimately treat him as blameworthy. The statement functions as counsel about reputation, judgment, and the conditions under which reproach is warranted.