Shloka 10
शूद्रो5हं नाधिकारो मे चातुराश्रम्यसेवने । इति विज्ञानमपरे नात्मन्युपदधत्युत
śūdro ’haṃ nādhikāro me cāturāśramya-sevane | iti vijñānam apare nātmany upadadhaty uta ||
Sabi ni Bhīṣma: “May ilan na nag-iisip, ‘Ako’y Śūdra; kaya wala akong karapatang isagawa ang apat na āśrama (gaya ng brahmacarya).’ Ngunit ang tunay na banal sa hanay ng mga ‘dalawang ulit na isinilang’ ay hindi nagkukupkop sa loob ng gayong mapanlinlang na paglimita sa sarili.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse critiques a defeatist or self-excluding belief—“I have no right to spiritual discipline”—and suggests that the virtuous do not take refuge in such inner excuses. Ethically, it points toward sincerity and responsibility in pursuing dharma rather than hiding behind identity-based pretexts.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction on dharma, he comments on how some people interpret social status as barring them from āśrama-based practices, while praising the truly good (here described as virtuous dvijas) for not entertaining such inner ‘chala’—a deceptive rationalization.