Shloka 2
Brāhmaṇa-Dharma, Āśrama Eligibility, and the Primacy of Rāja-Dharma (Śānti Parva 63)
भीष्म अवाच ब्राह्मणस्य तु चत्वारस्त्वाश्रमा विहिता: प्रभो । वर्णस्तान् नानुवर्तन्ते त्रयो भारतसत्तम
bhīṣma uvāca brāhmaṇasya tu catvāras tv āśramā vihitāḥ prabho | varṇas tān nānuvartante trayo bhāratasattama ||
Bhīṣma đáp: “Tâu chúa công, đối với một Brāhmaṇa thì bốn āśrama quả thật được quy định. Nhưng ba varṇa còn lại không theo trọn vẹn các āśrama ấy, hỡi bậc ưu tú nhất trong dòng Bhārata.”
युधिषछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma highlights a normative dharma framework: the four āśramas are explicitly prescribed for Brāhmaṇas, while the other three varṇas are presented as not fully conforming to that complete āśrama scheme—pointing to differences between ideal prescriptions and social practice/eligibility as understood in the discourse.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhīṣma continues advising Yudhiṣṭhira. Here he introduces a distinction in varṇāśrama organization, setting up further explanation of duties and life-stages across social orders.