Shloka 36

Kuberasaras-darśana (Bhīma beholds Kubera’s guarded lotus-lake) / कुबेरसरः-दर्शनम्

Devanagari script

शुश्रूषा च द्विजातीनां शूद्राणां धर्म उच्यते । भैक्ष्यहोमव्रतैहीनास्तथैव गुरुवासिता:,ब्राह्मण आदि तीनों वर्णोकी सेवा करना शूद्रोंका धर्म बताया गया है। तीनों वर्णोंकी सेवामें रहनेवाले शूद्रोंके लिये भिक्षा, होम और व्रत मना है

Transliteration

śuśrūṣā ca dvijātīnāṃ śūdrāṇāṃ dharma ucyate | bhaikṣya-homa-vrataiḥ hīnāḥ tathaiva guru-vāsitāḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana nói: Phụng sự và chăm nom cung kính đối với những người “hai lần sinh” được tuyên là dharma của Śūdra. Vì thế, những Śūdra sống trong sự phụng sự ba varṇa cao hơn không được buộc phải thực hành các kỷ luật như khất thực, cúng lửa (homa), hay các lời nguyện nghi lễ (vrata).

Word by Word

शुश्रूषाservice, attendance

चand

द्विजातीनाम्of the twice-born (three higher varnas)

शूद्राणाम्of Śūdras

धर्मःduty, dharma

उच्यतेis said/declared

भैक्ष्यby/with begging (alms-seeking)

होमby/with oblations (homa)

व्रतैःby/with vows/observances

हीनाःdevoid of, excluded from

तथाthus, likewise

एवindeed, just

गुरुवासिताःdwelling with/attending on the teacher (guru)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

dvija (twice-born varṇas)

Śūdra

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames śuśrūṣā—attentive service to the twice-born—as the primary dharma for Śūdras, and states that when Śūdras are living in such service (especially in a guru’s household), they are not enjoined to perform practices like bhaikṣya (mendicancy), homa (fire-offerings), and vrata (formal vows).

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana is presenting a dharma-teaching in the Vana Parva context, articulating role-based duties and religious permissions/prohibitions within the classical varṇa framework, rather than describing a battlefield event.