Shloka 38
उपदेशदोषप्रसङ्गः (Upadeśa-doṣa-prasaṅgaḥ) — The Risk of Misapplied Counsel
तात! इसी प्रकार वे ऋषि भी कालधर्म-मृत्युको प्राप्त हुए। भरतश्रेष्ठ! वे ही ऋषि दूसरे जन्ममें उसी राजवंशके पुरोहितके कुलमें उत्पन्न हुए। इस प्रकार वह शूद्र और वे मुनि दोनों ही वहाँ उत्पन्न हुए, क्रमश: बढ़े और सब प्रकारकी विद्याओंमें निपुण हो गये ।।
tāta! evaṃprakāreṇa te ṛṣayo 'pi kāladharma-mṛtyuṃ prāptāḥ | bharataśreṣṭha! te eva ṛṣayaḥ dvitīye janmani tasmin rājavaṃśe purohitasya kule utpannāḥ | evaṃ sa śūdraś ca te munayaś ca ubhau tatra utpannau, kramaśaḥ vavṛdhāte, sarvaprakārāsu vidyāsu nipuṇābhavatām || atharvavede vede ca babhūvarṣiḥ suniṣṭhitaḥ | kalpaprayoge cotpanne jyotiṣe ca paraṃ gataḥ ||
Wika ni Bhishma: “Mahal kong anak, gayon din, ang mga pantas na iyon ay dumanas ng kamatayang dumarating ayon sa batas ng panahon. O pinakamainam sa angkan ng Bharata, ang mismong mga pantas na iyon ay muling isinilang sa sumunod na buhay sa loob ng sambahayan ng purohita ng maharlikang lahi. Kaya ang Śūdra na iyon at ang mga muni ay kapwa isinilang doon, lumaki sa takdang ayos, at naging bihasa sa lahat ng sangay ng karunungan. Siya’y naging isang rishi na matatag sa Atharvaveda at sa kaalamang Veda, at naabot ang sukdulang kahusayan sa pagsasagawa ng mga ritwal (Kalpa) at sa agham ng astrolohiya (Jyotiṣa).”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage emphasizes kāladharma—the inevitability of death under time’s law—and the continuity of moral and intellectual development across rebirths. It also highlights that learning and ritual competence (Veda, Kalpa, Jyotiṣa) can be attained through disciplined growth, regardless of prior circumstances, within the framework of karmic return.
Bhīṣma explains that certain sages died according to the natural course of time and were then reborn in a later life within the family of a royal priest. Along with a Śūdra born there, they grew up step by step and became accomplished in many disciplines; one is described as becoming firmly established in Atharvavedic and Vedic learning and excelling in ritual procedure and Jyotiṣa.