Anushasana Parva Adhyaya 148 Shloka 2 - Mahabharata | Vietnamese | Vedapath

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Shloka 2

धर्मनिन्दा–धर्मोपासनाफलम् तथा साध्वाचारलक्षणम्

Fruits of Disparaging vs. Observing Dharma; Marks of Good Conduct

Devanagari script

चातुर्वर्ण्य भगवता पूर्व सृष्टे स्वयम्भुवा । केन कर्मविपाकेन वैश्यो गच्छति शूद्रताम्‌

Transliteration

cāturvarṇyaṁ bhagavatā pūrvaṁ sṛṣṭe svayambhuvā | kena karmavipākena vaiśyo gacchati śūdratām ||

Translation

Maheśvara hỏi: “Thuở khởi nguyên xa xưa, khi Đấng Tự Sinh tạo ra bốn giai tầng, do quả chín của nghiệp nào mà một Vaiśya lại rơi xuống địa vị Śūdra?”

Word by Word

चातुर्वर्ण्यम्the fourfold varna-system

भगवताby the Lord

पूर्वम्formerly, earlier

सृष्टेwhen created / in the creation (having been created)

स्वयम्भुवाby the Self-born (Brahmā)

केनby what?

कर्मविपाकेनby the ripening/result of karma

वैश्यःa Vaiśya

गच्छतिgoes, attains

शूद्रताम्Śūdra-hood, the state of being a Śūdra

Speaker

श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Śrīmaheśvara (Mahādeva/Śiva)

Svayambhū (Brahmā)

cāturvarṇya (four varṇas)

Vaiśya

Śūdra

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames varṇa-status as connected to karma-vipāka (the moral maturation of actions), introducing an ethical inquiry into how conduct and its consequences can lead to decline in social-religious standing.

What is happening in the narrative?

Maheshvara poses a doctrinal question about the fourfold order created by Svayambhū (Brahmā), specifically asking what kinds of karmic outcomes cause a Vaiśya to fall into the condition of a Śūdra, setting up an explanation in the subsequent verses.