Shloka 336
Āśrama-dharma: Duties of the Four Life-Stages (आश्रमधर्मः)
शूद्रायैव प्रदेयानि तस्य धर्मधनं हि तत् । फटे-पुराने कपड़े, जो अपने धारण करने योग्य न रहें, वे द्विजातियोंद्वारा शूद्रको ही दे देने योग्य हैं; क्योंकि धर्मतः वे सब वस्तुएँ शूद्रकी ही सम्पत्ति हैं
śūdrāyaiva pradeyāni tasya dharmadhanaṃ hi tat |
Sinabi ni Bhishma na ang gayong mga bagay ay dapat ibigay lamang sa isang Śūdra, sapagkat ayon sa tuntunin ng dharma, itinuturing itong kanyang nararapat na pag-aari. Sa pananaw ng wastong asal, ang hindi na angkop gamitin ng isang dvija (ang “dalawang ulit na isinilang”)—gaya ng mga damit na luma at punit—ay hindi dapat ipunin o gamitin sa maling paraan, kundi ilipat bilang pagbibigay na tinutupad bilang tungkulin, sa taong itinuturing na angkop at kapaki-pakinabang.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches a rule of dharmic giving: items no longer suitable for a twice-born person’s use should be given to a Śūdra, since dharma regards such discarded goods as properly belonging to him; ethical conduct lies in appropriate, duty-based redistribution rather than hoarding.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on righteous conduct, Bhīṣma is advising Yudhiṣṭhira on norms of charity and social duty, specifying who should receive certain kinds of leftover or worn possessions.