Shloka 18
भृगु–भरद्वाजसंवादः: वर्णभेदस्य कर्माधारितव्याख्या
Bhrigu–Bharadvaja Dialogue: A Karma-Based Account of Varṇa
दिष्ट्या त्वं न शृगालो वै न कृमिर्न च मूषक: । न सर्पो न च मण्डूको न चान्य: पापयोनिज:,“आपका बड़ा भाग्य है कि आप गीदड़, कीड़ा, चूहा, साँप, मेढ़क या किसी दूसरी पापयोनिमें नहीं उत्पन्न हुए
diṣṭyā tvaṃ na śṛgālo vai na kṛmir na ca mūṣakaḥ | na sarpo na ca maṇḍūko na cānyaḥ pāpayonijaḥ ||
毗湿摩说道：“幸而有福，你未曾生为豺狼，亦非虫豸，亦非鼠类；非蛇，非蛙，也非任何其他出自罪恶之胎的生灵。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the karmic idea that one’s birth reflects prior merit or demerit: avoiding ‘pāpa-yoni’ (inauspicious or sinful births) is presented as a sign of good fortune and moral causality, encouraging ethical conduct to secure a better condition of life.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma is instructing his listener on dharma and the consequences of actions. Here he begins by noting the listener’s fortunate human birth, contrasting it with various low or inauspicious animal births, as a setup for further moral counsel.