Shloka 55
उपदेशदोषप्रसङ्गः (Upadeśa-doṣa-prasaṅgaḥ) — The Risk of Misapplied Counsel
शूद्रो<हमभवं पूर्व तापसो भृशसंयुतः । ऋषिरुग्रतपास्त्वं च तदाभूद् द्विजसत्तम,विप्रवर! पहले जन्ममें मैं शूद्र था। फिर बड़ा भारी तपस्वी हो गया। उन्हीं दिनों आप उग्र तप करनेवाले श्रेष्ठ महर्षि थे
śūdro ’ham abhavaṃ pūrvaṃ tāpaso bhṛśa-saṃyutaḥ | ṛṣir ugra-tapās tvaṃ ca tadābhūd dvija-sattama ||
Hỡi vị tư tế tối thượng, trong đời trước ta là một Thủ-đà-la; rồi về sau trở thành kẻ khổ hạnh nghiêm khắc, đầy tự chế. Còn ngài—hỡi bậc tối thượng trong hàng song sinh—khi ấy là một hiền thánh tu khổ hạnh dữ dội.
पुरोहित उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes moral and spiritual development across lives: birth-status is not the final measure of worth, and intense discipline (tapas) and self-restraint can elevate one’s spiritual standing; likewise, true excellence is linked to austerity and conduct.
The priest-speaker recounts a prior-life memory: he was once a Śūdra who later became a powerful ascetic, while the person addressed (honored as ‘best among the twice-born’) was then a great sage practicing fierce austerities—setting a karmic and ethical background for the ongoing discourse.