Shloka 20
Indra–Mataṅga Saṃvāda: On the rarity and responsibilities of Brāhmaṇya (इन्द्र-मतङ्ग संवादः)
मतंग उवाच अन्त्ययोनिरयोनिर्वा कथं स कुशली भवेत् । कुशल तु कुतस्तस्य यस्येयं जननी पित:
Mataṅga uvāca: antyayonir ayonir vā kathaṁ sa kuśalī bhavet | kuśalaṁ tu kutaḥ tasya yasye-yaṁ jananī pitāḥ ||
Mataṅga thưa: “Thưa cha, kẻ sinh vào dòng ‘cuối’ bị khinh miệt—thậm chí còn bị xem là thấp hơn nữa—làm sao có thể thật sự an ổn, may mắn? Phúc lành từ đâu đến với người mà chính gốc gác—cha mẹ—lại như thế?”
मतंग उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse voices a common social assumption in the epic world: that a person’s welfare and social standing are constrained by birth and parentage. In the broader ethical discussions of the Anuśāsana-parvan, such statements often function as positions to be examined—inviting reflection on whether virtue and auspiciousness arise from lineage or from conduct (ācāra) and dharma.
Mataṅga addresses his father and raises a pointed question about the possibility of well-being for someone born in a stigmatized or ‘lowest’ birth. The line is part of a dialogue framed as moral inquiry, where social status, origin, and the grounds of true ‘kuśala’ (welfare/auspiciousness) are being debated.