Shloka 40
भृगु–भरद्वाजसंवादः: वर्णभेदस्य कर्माधारितव्याख्या
Bhrigu–Bharadvaja Dialogue: A Karma-Based Account of Varṇa
यदि ब्राह्मण देहस्ते निरातड़को निरामय: । अड्जरननि च समग्राणि न च लोकेषु धिक्कृत:
yadi brāhmaṇa dehas te nirātaṅko nirāmayaḥ | aṅgāni ca samagrāṇi na ca lokeṣu dhikkṛtaḥ ||
毗湿摩说道：“婆罗门啊，若你的身体无惧无病——四肢完好，未生任何缺陷——则世间无人能正当地谴责你。你并非可受非难之人。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma links moral/social blame to demonstrable fault: if a person is untroubled, healthy, and unimpaired—i.e., not showing signs of wrongdoing or disorder—then public condemnation lacks basis. The verse emphasizes restraint in reproach and the idea that censure should be grounded in clear cause.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction, Bhīṣma addresses a brāhmaṇa and reassures him: if he is physically and outwardly unimpaired and not marked by any defect, society cannot legitimately treat him as blameworthy. The statement functions as counsel about reputation, judgment, and the conditions under which reproach is warranted.