Shloka 16
धृतराष्ट्रपुत्रनामावलिः (Roster of Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Children) / Names of the Kauravas in Order
शूद्रयोनावतो धर्म मानुष: सम्भविष्यसि । मर्यादां स्थापयाम्यद्य लोके धर्मफलोदयाम्,अतः धर्म! तुम मनुष्य होकर शूद्रयोनिमें जन्म लोगे। आजसे संसारमें मैं धर्मके फलको प्रकट करनेवाली मर्यादा स्थापित करता हूँ
śūdrayonāvato dharma mānuṣaḥ sambhaviṣyasi | maryādāṁ sthāpayāmy adya loke dharmaphalodayām ||
Aṇīmāṇḍavya nói: “Hỡi Dharma, ngươi sẽ sinh làm người, từ thai mẹ thuộc giai cấp Śūdra. Từ chính hôm nay, ta lập trong đời một khuôn phép ràng buộc—khuôn phép khiến quả báo của dharma phải hiển lộ rõ ràng.”
अणीमाण्डग्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ethical judgment must be accountable: righteousness (Dharma) is not merely abstract law but must yield visible, proportionate consequences. The verse frames a demand that moral outcomes (dharmaphala) become manifest in the world through an established norm (maryādā).
The sage Aṇīmāṇḍavya addresses Dharma directly and pronounces a curse: Dharma will be born as a human from a Śūdra womb. He also declares that from that day a rule will stand in the world ensuring the manifestation of dharma’s fruits—reflecting his protest against Dharma’s earlier harsh or flawed adjudication.