Shloka 7
Adhyāya 189: Japa—Inquiry into the Jāpaka, Method
Vidhi), and Fruit (Phala
काम: क्रोधो भयं लोभ: शोकझश्िन्ता क्षुधा श्रम: । सर्वेषां नः प्रभवति कस्माद् वर्णो विभिद्यते
kāmaḥ krodho bhayaṁ lobhaḥ śokaś cintā kṣudhā śramaḥ | sarveṣāṁ naḥ prabhavati kasmād varṇo vibhidyate ||
Bharadvāja nói: “Dục vọng, giận dữ, sợ hãi, tham lam, sầu khổ, lo âu, đói khát và mệt nhọc—tất cả đều phát sinh nơi chúng ta như nhau. Vậy dựa vào đâu mà nói varṇa khác biệt?”
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bharadvāja argues that fundamental human drives and vulnerabilities—desire, anger, fear, greed, grief, anxiety, hunger, and fatigue—are common to all people; therefore, mere birth-based distinctions of varṇa require justification beyond shared human nature.
In Śānti Parva’s reflective discourse on dharma and social order, Bharadvāja poses a probing question about the basis of varṇa-difference, challenging assumptions by pointing to universal human experiences.