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
व्याध उवाच
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.