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Shloka 11

कार्त्तिकेय-जन्मोपक्रमः

Prelude to the Birth of Kārttikeya/Skanda

शूद्रयोनौ हि जातस्य सद्गुणानुपतिष्ठत: । वैश्यत्वं लभते ब्रद्दन्‌ क्षत्रियत्वं तथैव च,ब्रह्मन! शूद्रयोनिमें उत्पन्न मनुष्य भी यदि उत्तम गुणोंका आश्रय ले, तो वह वैश्य तथा क्षत्रियभावको प्राप्त कर लेता है

śūdrayonau hi jātasya sadguṇānupatiṣṭhataḥ | vaiśyatvaṃ labhate brāhman kṣatriyatvaṃ tathaiva ca ||

โอ้พราหมณ์ แม้ผู้เกิดในครรภ์ศูทร หากยึดมั่นและดำรงอยู่ในคุณธรรมอันประเสริฐ ก็ย่อมบรรลุฐานะไวศยะ และเช่นเดียวกันย่อมบรรลุฐานะกษัตริยะได้

शूद्रयोनौin a Śūdra womb/birth
शूद्रयोनौ:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootशूद्रयोनि
FormFeminine, Locative, Singular
हिindeed/for
हि:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootहि
जातस्यof one who is born
जातस्य:
TypeAdjective
Rootजात
FormMasculine, Genitive, Singular
सद्गुणान्good virtues
सद्गुणान्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootसद्गुण
FormMasculine, Accusative, Plural
उपतिष्ठतःof one who attends to/serves (them)
उपतिष्ठतः:
TypeVerb
Rootउप-स्था
FormMasculine, Genitive, Singular
वैश्यत्वम्Vaiśya-hood
वैश्यत्वम्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootवैश्यत्व
FormNeuter, Accusative, Singular
लभतेobtains
लभते:
TypeVerb
Rootलभ्
FormPresent, Third, Singular, Ātmanepada
ब्राह्मन्O Brahmin
ब्राह्मन्:
TypeNoun
Rootब्राह्मन्
FormMasculine, Vocative, Singular
क्षत्रियत्वम्Kṣatriya-hood
क्षत्रियत्वम्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootक्षत्रियत्व
FormNeuter, Accusative, Singular
तथाso/likewise
तथा:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतथा
एवindeed/just
एव:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootएव
and
:
TypeIndeclinable
Root

व्याध उवाच

V
Vyādha (the hunter, speaker)
B
Brāhmaṇa (the addressed interlocutor)
Ś
Śūdra
V
Vaiśya
K
Kṣatriya

Educational Q&A

The verse teaches that cultivated virtue (sadguṇa) and consistent ethical conduct can elevate a person’s recognized social standing; moral qualities are presented as a decisive criterion, not merely birth.

In the Vyādha’s instruction to a brāhmaṇa, he argues for a dharma-centered evaluation of people, asserting that one born as a Śūdra who practices noble virtues may attain the status associated with higher varṇas such as Vaiśya or Kṣatriya.