Mahabharata · Chapter 12.59

tataḥ punaḥ sa gāṅgeyamabhivādya pitāmaham /
prāñjalirniyato bhūtvā paryapṛcchadyudhiṣṭhiraḥ //

ke dharmāḥ sarvavarṇānāṃ cāturvarṇyasya ke pṛthak /
cāturvarṇyāśramāṇāṃ ca rājadharmāśca ke matāḥ //

kena vai vardhate rāṣṭraṃ rājā kena vivardhate /
kena paurāśca bhṛtyāśca vardhante bharatarṣabha //

kośaṃ daṇḍaṃ ca durgaṃ ca sahāyānmantriṇastathā /
ṛtvikpurohitācāryānkīdṛśānvarjayennṛpaḥ //

keṣu viśvasitavyaṃ syādrājñā kasyāñcidāpadi /
kuto vā'tmā dṛḍhaṃ rakṣyastanme brūhi pitāmaha //

dvaidhībhāve ca bhṛtyānāṃ śapathaḥ kīdṛśo bhavet /
adharmasya phalaṃ yacca śapathasya vilaṅghane //

sarvametadyathātatvaṃ vyavahāraṃ ca tādṛśam / samāsavyāsayogena kathayasva pitāmaha //
bhīṣma uvāca /

namo dharmāya mahate namaḥ kṛṣṇāya vedhase /
brāhmaṇebhyo namaskṛtya dharmānvakṣyāmi śāśvatān //

akrodhaḥ satyavacanaṃ saṃvibhāgaśca sarvaśaḥ /
prajanaṃ sveṣu dāreṣu śaucamadroha eva ca //

ārjavaṃ bhṛtyabharaṇaṃ ta ete sārvavarṇikāḥ /
brāhmaṇasya tu yo dharmastaṃ te vakṣyāmi kevalam //

damameva mahārāja dharmamāhuḥ purātanam /
svādhyāyo'dhyāpanaṃ caiva tatra karma samāpyate //

taṃ ceddvijamupāgacchedvartamānaṃ svakarmaṇi /
akurvāṇaṃ vikarmāṇi śāntaṃ prajñānatarpitam //

kurvītāpatyasantānamatho dadyādyajeta ca /
saṃvibhajya ca bhoktavyaṃ dhanaṃ sadbhirītīṣyate //

pariniṣṭhitakāryastu svādhyāyenaiva vai dvijaḥ /
kuryādanyanna vā kuryānmaitro brāhmaṇa ucyate //

kṣatriyasyāpi yo dharmastaṃ te vakṣyāmi bhārata /
dadyādrājā na yāceta yajeta na ca yājayet //

nādhyāpayedadhīyīta prajāśca paripālayet /
nityodyukto dasyuvade raṇe kuryātparākramam //

ye tu kratubhirījānāḥ śrutavantaśca bhūmipāḥ /
ya evāhavajetārasta eṣāṃ lokajittamāḥ //

avikṣatena dehena samarādyo nivartate /
kṣatriyo nāsya tatkarma praśaṃsanti purāvidaḥ //

evaṃ hi kṣatrabandhūnāṃ dharmamāhuḥ pradhānataḥ /
nāsya kṛtyatamaṃ kiñcidanyaddasyunibarhaṇāt //

dānamadhyayanaṃ yajño rājñāṃ kṣemo vidhīyate /
tasmādrājñā viśeṣeṇa yoddhavyaṃ dharmamīpsatā //

sveṣu dharmeṣvavasthāpyaḥ prajāḥ sarvā mahīpatiḥ /
dharmeṇa sarvakṛtyāni śamaniṣṭhāni kārayet //

pariniṣṭhitakāryastu nṛpatiḥ paripālanāt /
kuryādanyanna vā kuryādaindro rājanya ucyate //

vaiśyasyāpi hi yo dharmastaṃ te vakṣyāmi śāśvatam /
dānamadhyayanaṃ yajñaḥ śaucena dhanasañcayaḥ //

pitṛvatpālayedvaiśyo yuktaḥ sarvānpaśūniha /
vikarma tadbhavedanyatkarma yatsa samācaret //

rakṣayā sa hi teṣāṃ vai mahatsukhamavāpnuyāt /
prajāpatirhi vaiśyāya sṛṣṭvā paridadau paśūn //

brāhmaṇāya ca rājñe ca sarvāḥ paridade prajāḥ /
tasya vṛttiṃ pravakṣyāmi yacca tasyopajīvanam //

paṇṇāmekāṃ pibeddhenuṃ śatācca mithunaṃ haret /
laye ca saptamo bhāgastathā śṛṅge kalā khure //

sasyānāṃ sarvabījānāmeṣā sāṃvatsarī bhṛtiḥ //

na ca vaiśyasya kāmaḥ syānna rakṣeyaṃ paśūniti /
vaiśye cecchati nānyena rakṣitavyāḥ kathañcana //

śūdrasyāpi hi yo dharmastaṃ te vakṣyāmi bhārata /
prajāpatirhi varṇānāṃ dāsaṃ śūdramakalpayat //

tasmācchūdrasya varṇānāṃ paricaryā vidhīyate /
teṣāṃ śuśrūṣaṇāccaiva mahatsukhamavāpnuyāt //

śūdra etānparicaretrīnvarṇānanasūyakaḥ /
sañcayāṃśca na kurvīta jātu śūdraḥ kathañcana //

pāpīyānhi dhanaṃ labdhvā vaśe kuryādgarīyasaḥ /
rājñā vā samanujñātaḥ kāmaṃ kurvīta dhārmikaḥ //

tasya vṛttiṃ pravakṣyāmi yacca tasyopajīvanam /
avaśyaṃ bharaṇīyo hi varṇānāṃ śūdra ucyate //

chatraṃ veṣṭanamauśīramupānadvyajanāni ca /
yātayāmāni deyāni śūdrāya paricāriṇe //

adhāryāṇi viśīrṇāni vasanāni dvijātibhiḥ /
śūdrāyaiva pradeyāni tasya dharmadhanaṃ hi tat //

yañca kaściddvijātīnāṃ śūdraḥ śuśrūṣurāvrajet /
kalpyāṃ tena tu tasyāhurvṛttiṃ dharmavido janāḥ //

deyaḥ piṇḍo'napatyāya bhartavyau vṛddhadurbalau /
śūdreṇa tu na hātavyo bhartā kasyāñcidāpadi //

atirekeṇa bhartavyo bhartā dravyaparikṣaye /
na hi svamasti śūdrasya bhartṛhāryadhano hi saḥ //

uktastrayāṇāṃ varṇānāṃ yajñastrayyeva bhārata /
svāhākāravaṣaṭ्kārau mantraḥ śūdre na vidyate //

tasmācchūdraḥ pākayajñaiyajetāvratavānsvayam /
pūrṇapātramayīmāhuḥ pākayajñasya dakṣiṇām //

śūdraḥ paijavano nāma sahasrāṇāṃ śataṃ dadau /
aindrāgnena vidhānena dakṣiṇāmiti naḥ śrutam //

yato hi sarvavarṇānāṃ yajñastasyaiva bhārata //

agre sarveṣu yajñeṣu śraddhāyajño vidhīyate / daivataṃ hi mahacchraddhā pavitraṃ yajatāṃ ca yat /
daivataṃ hi paraṃ viprāḥ svenasvena parasparam //

ayajanniha satraiste taistaiḥ kāmaiḥ samāhitāḥ /
saṃsṛṣṭā brāhmaṇaireva triṣu varṇeṣu sṛṣṭayaḥ //

devānāmapi ye devā yadbrūyuste paraṃ hitam /
tasmādvarṇaiḥ sarvayajñāḥ saṃsṛjyante na kāmyayā //

ṛgyajuḥ sāmavitpūjyo nityaṃ syāddevavaddvijaḥ / anṛgyajurasāmā ca prājāpatya upadravaḥ /
yajño manīṣayā tāta sarvavarṇeṣu bhārata //

nāsya yajñakṛto devā īhante netare janāḥ /
tataḥ sarveṣu varṇeṣu śraddhāyajño vidhīyate //

svaṃ daivataṃ brāhmaṇaḥ svena nityaṃ parānvarṇānayajannaivamāsīt /
adharo vitānastvatha tatra sṛṣṭo na brāhmaṇastriṣu varṇeṣu rājan //

tasmādvarṇā ṛjavo jñātivarṇāḥ saṃsṛjyante tasya vikāra eva /
ekaṃ sāma yajurekamṛgekā vipraśvaiko niścaye teṣu sṛṣṭaḥ //

atra gāthā yajñagītāḥ kīrtayanti purāvidaḥ /
vaikhānasānāṃ rājendra munīnāṃ yaṣṭumicchatām //

udite'nudite vā'pi śraddadhāno jitendriyaḥ /
vahniṃ juhoti dharmeṇa śraddhā vai kāraṇaṃ mahat //

yatskannamasya tatpūrvaṃ yadaskannaṃ taduttaram /
bahūni yajñarūpāṇi nānākarmaphalāni ca //

tāni yaḥ samprajānāti jñānaniścayaniścitaḥ /
dvijātiḥ śraddhayopetaḥ sa yaṣṭuṃ puruṣo'rhati //

steno vā yadi vā pāpo yadi vā pāpakṛttamaḥ /
yaṣṭumicchati yajñaṃ yaḥ sādhumeva vadanti tam //

ṛṣayastaṃ praśaṃsanti sādhu caitadasaṃśayam /
sarvathā sarvadā varṇairyaṣṭavyamiti nirṇayaḥ //

na hi yajñasamaṃ kiñcitriṣu lokeṣu vidyate / tasmādyaṣṭavyamityāhuḥ puruṣeṇānasūyatā /
śraddhāpavitramāśritya yathāśakti yathecchayā //