Shloka 7
Adhyāya 189: Japa—Inquiry into the Jāpaka, Method
Vidhi), and Fruit (Phala
काम: क्रोधो भयं लोभ: शोकझश्िन्ता क्षुधा श्रम: । सर्वेषां नः प्रभवति कस्माद् वर्णो विभिद्यते
kāmaḥ krodho bhayaṁ lobhaḥ śokaś cintā kṣudhā śramaḥ | sarveṣāṁ naḥ prabhavati kasmād varṇo vibhidyate ||
婆罗堕阇说道：“欲、怒、惧、贪、忧、虑、饥与疲，皆同样生于我等众人。既然这些人性冲动与苦恼无不平等加诸于人，又凭何说四姓有别？”
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bharadvāja argues that fundamental human drives and vulnerabilities—desire, anger, fear, greed, grief, anxiety, hunger, and fatigue—are common to all people; therefore, mere birth-based distinctions of varṇa require justification beyond shared human nature.
In Śānti Parva’s reflective discourse on dharma and social order, Bharadvāja poses a probing question about the basis of varṇa-difference, challenging assumptions by pointing to universal human experiences.