Shloka 6

Brāhmaṇa-bheda-nirṇaya and Rājā’s Regulatory Duties (ब्राह्मणभेदनिर्णयः)

Devanagari script

आह्वायका देवलका नाक्षत्रा ग्रामयाजका: । एते ब्राह्णचाण्डाला महापथिकपज्चमा:,न्यायालयमें या कहीं भी लोगोंको बुलाकर लानेका काम करनेवाले, वेतन लेकर देवमन्दिरमें पूजा करनेवाले, नक्षत्र-विद्याद्वारा जीविका चलानेवाले, ग्रामपुरोहित तथा पाँचवें महापथिक (दूर देशके यात्री या समुद्र--यात्रा करनेवाले) ब्राह्मण चाण्डालके तुल्य माने जाते हैं

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca | āhvāyakā devalakā nākṣatrā grāmayājakāḥ | ete brāhmaṇacāṇḍālā mahāpathikapañcamāḥ ||

Translation

Bhishma nói: “Những kẻ sống bằng nghề đi gọi người thay kẻ khác, những người làm tư tế thuê trong đền miếu, những kẻ mưu sinh bằng thuật chiêm tinh, những người làm lễ cho làng, cùng hạng ‘thứ năm’—mahāpathika, kẻ sống nhờ việc đi đường xa và những giao dịch liên quan—đều bị xem là Bà-la-môn sa đọa, ngang hàng với kẻ tiện dân (caṇḍāla).”

Word by Word

आह्वायकाḥsummoners; those who call people (for hire)

देवलकाḥtemple-priests (serving for wages)

नाक्षत्राḥastrologers; those living by nakshatra-lore

ग्रामयाजकाḥvillage-priests (who officiate for a village)

एतेthese

ब्राह्मणचाण्डालाḥBrahmins-and-Chandalas (i.e., Brahmins treated as Chandalas)

महापथिकपञ्चमाḥas the fifth (category) among great-road travelers (mahāpathikas)

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Brāhmaṇa

Caṇḍāla

Deva-mandira (temple) (implied by devalaka)

Mahāpatha (great road) (implied by mahāpathika)

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?

Bhishma teaches that Brahmin status is safeguarded by right conduct and appropriate livelihood; when sacred roles become wage-driven, manipulative, or rooted in questionable means (such as professional summoning, hired temple service, or astrology-for-profit), the tradition classifies this as a serious fall in dharma—so severe that such Brahmins are likened to outcastes.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhishma is listing occupations and modes of livelihood considered degrading for Brahmins, warning Yudhiṣṭhira that certain professional practices undermine the ethical and ritual ideals expected of the priestly class.