Shloka 25
अव्यक्त-प्रबोधः (Awakening to the Unmanifest): The 25th and 26th Principles and Eligibility for Brahma-vidyā
क्रूरताका अभाव (दया), अहिंसा, अप्रमाद (सावधानी), देवता-पितर आदिको उनके भाग समर्पित करना अथवा दान देना, श्राद्धकर्म, अतिथिसत्कार, सत्य, अक्रोध, अपनी ही पत्नीमें संतुष्ट रहना, पवित्रता रखना, कभी किसीके दोष न देखना, आत्मज्ञान तथा सहनशीलता--ये सभी वर्णोंके सामान्य धर्म हैं ।।
brāhmaṇāḥ kṣatriyā vaiśyās trayo varṇā dvijātayaḥ | atra teṣām adhīkāro dharmeṣu dvipadāṁ vara ||
Ipinahayag ni Parāśara: “Ang kawalan ng kalupitan (habag), ahimsa, pagiging mapagmatyag; pag-aalay ng bahagi sa mga diyos at sa mga ninuno (pitṛ) o pagbibigay-daan; mga ritwal na śrāddha; pagtanggap sa panauhin; katotohanan; kawalan ng galit; pagiging tapat at pagkasiya sa sariling asawa; kalinisan; hindi paninira o paghahanap ng mali sa kapwa; kaalaman sa Sarili; at pagtitiis—lahat ng ito ay pangkalahatang dharma ng lahat ng varṇa. At ang mga Brahmana, Kshatriya, at Vaiśya—ang tatlong varṇa na ito—ang mga ‘dalawang ulit na isinilang’ (dvija). Sa mga bagay na ito ng dharma, O pinakamainam sa mga tao, taglay nila ang nararapat na karapatan at pagiging karapat-dapat.”
पराशर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse states that the three twice-born varṇas—Brahmin, Kshatriya, and Vaishya—have adhikāra (eligibility/authority) in the dharmas being discussed, within a broader instruction that emphasizes universal virtues (compassion, non-violence, truth, restraint, purity, self-knowledge, and forbearance) as sustaining principles of righteous life.
In Śānti Parva’s didactic setting, Parāśara is teaching about dharma. This particular verse clarifies who is considered ‘twice-born’ and thus formally eligible for certain dharma-discourses and Vedic-linked duties, while the surrounding passage enumerates general ethical practices presented as common duties.