Brahmacarya-Upāya: Jñāna, Śauca, and the Mind’s Role in Desire (शान्ति पर्व, अध्याय २०७)
बाहुभ्यां क्षत्रियशतं वैश्यानामूरुत: शतम् । पद्धयां शूद्रशतं चैव केशवो भरतर्षभ
bāhubhyāṃ kṣatriyaśataṃ vaiśyānām ūrutaḥ śatam | padbhyāṃ śūdraśataṃ caiva keśavo bharatarṣabha ||
毗湿摩说道:“婆罗多族中最杰出者啊,凯沙瓦(Keśava)从自己的双臂化生出数百刹帝利,从自己的大腿化生出数百吠舍,也同样从自己的双足化生出数百首陀罗。”
भीष्म उवाच
The verse conveys a traditional, hierarchical model of social organization by mapping varṇas to parts of the divine body, implying differentiated functions and duties within a single ordered whole, framed as a dharma-based vision of society.
Bhīṣma, instructing Yudhiṣṭhira in the Śānti Parva, states that Keśava generated different social groups—Kṣatriyas, Vaiśyas, and Śūdras—from his arms, thighs, and feet, respectively, as part of a broader discourse on social duties and governance.