Mahabharata · Chapter 13.208

hanta te kathayiṣyāmi yatte devi manaḥpriyam /
śṛṇu tatsarvamakhilaṃ dharmaṃ varṇāśramāśritam //

brāhmaṇāḥ kṣatriyā vaiśyāḥ śudrāśceti caturvidham / brāhmaṇā vihitāḥ pūrvaṃ lokatantramabhīpsatā /
karmāṇi ca tadarhāṇi śāstreṣu vihitāni vai //

yadīdamekavarṇaṃ syājjagatsarvaṃ vinaśyati /
sahaiva devi varṇāni catvāri vihitānyataḥ //

mukhato brāhmaṇāḥ sṛṣṭastasmātte vāgviśāradāḥ /
bāhubhyāṃ kṣatriyāḥ sṛṣṭāstasmātte bāhugarvitāḥ //

ūrubhyāmudgatā vaiśyāstasmādvārtopajīvinaḥ /
śūdrāśca pādataḥ sṛṣṭāstasmātte paricākāḥ //

teṣāṃ dharmāṃśca karmāṇi śṛṇu devi samāhitā / viprāḥ kṛtā bhūmidevā lokānāṃ dhāraṇe kṛtāḥ /
te kaiścinnāvamantavyā brāhmaṇā hitamicchubhiḥ //

yadi te brāhmaṇā na syurdānayogavahāḥ sadā /
ubhayorlokayordevi sthitirna syātsamāsataḥ //

lokeṣu durlabhaṃ kintu brāhmaṇatvamiti smṛtam /
abudho vā daridro vā pūjanīyaḥ sadaiva saḥ //

brāhmaṇānyo'vamanyeta nindecca krodhayecca vā /
prahareta haredvā'pi dhanaṃ teṣāṃ narādhamaḥ //

kārayeddhīnakarmaṇi kāmalobhavimohanāt /
sa ca māmavamanyeta māṃ krodhayati nindati //

māmeva praharenmūḍho maddhanasyāpahārakaḥ /
māmeva preṣaṇaṃ kṛtvā nidante mūḍhacetanaḥ //

svādhyāyo yajanaṃ dānaṃ tasya dharma iti sthitiḥ / karmaṇyadhyāpanaṃ caiva yājanaṃ ca pratigrahaḥ /
satyaṃ śāntistapaḥ śaucaṃ tasya dharmaḥ sanātanaḥ //

vikrayo rasadhānyānāṃ brāhmaṇasya vigarhitaḥ /
anāpadi ca śūdrānnaṃ vṛṣalīsaṅgrahastathā //

tapa eva sadā dharmo brāhmaṇasya na saṃśayaḥ /
sa tu dharmārthamutpannaḥ pūrvaṃ dhātrā tapobalāt //

tasyopanayanaṃ dharmo nityaṃ codakadhāraṇam /
śāstrasya śravaṇaṃ dharmo devavrataniṣevaṇam //

agnikāryaṃ paro dharmo nityayajñopavītitā / śūdrānnavarjanaṃ dharmo dharmaḥ satpathasevanam /
dharmo nityopavāsitvaṃ brahmacaryaṃ paraṃ tathā //

gṛhasthasya paro dharmo gṛhasthāśramiṇastathā /
gṛhasammārjanaṃ dharma ālepanavidhistathā //

atithipriyatā dharmo dharmastretāgnidhāraṇam /
iṣṭirvā paśubandhāśca vidhipūrvaṃ parantapa //

dampatyoḥ samaśīlatvaṃ dharmo vai gṛhamedhinām /
evaṃ dvijanmano dharmo gārhasthye dharmadhāraṇam //

yastu kṣatragato dharmastvayā devi prayoditaḥ /
tamahaṃ te pravakṣyāmi śṛṇu devi samāhitā //

kṣatriyāstu tato devi dvijānāṃ pālane smṛtāḥ /
yadi niḥkṣatriyo loko jagatsyādadharottaram //

rakṣaṇātkṣatriyaireva jagadbhavati śāśvatam /
tasyāpyadhyayanaṃ dānaṃ yajanaṃ dharmataḥ smṛtam //

dīnānāṃ rakṣaṇaṃ caiva pāpanāmanuśāsanam /
satāṃ sampoṣaṇaṃ caiva karmaṣaṇmārgajīvanam //

utsāhaḥ śastrajīvitvaṃ tasya dharmaḥ sanātanaḥ /
bhṛtyānāṃ bharaṇaṃ dharmaḥ kṛte karmaṇyamoghatā //

samyagguṇayuto dharmo dharmaḥ paurahitakriyā /
vyavahārasthitirnityaṃ guṇayukto mahīpatiḥ //

ārtavittaprado rājā dharmaṃ prāpnotyanuttamam /
evaṃ tairvihitaḥ pūrvairdharmaḥ karmavidhānataḥ //

tathaiva devi vaiśyāśca lokayātrāhitāḥ smṛtāḥ /
anye tānupajīvanti pratyakṣaphaladā hi te //

yadi na syustathā vaiśyā na bhaveyustathā pare /
teṣāmadhyayanaṃ dānaṃ gajanaṃ dharma ucyate //

vaiśyasya satataṃ dharmaḥ pāśupālyaṃ kṛṣistathā /
agnihotraparispandāstrayo varṇā dvijātayaḥ //

vāṇijyaṃ satpathe sthānamātitheyatvameva ca /
viprāṇāṃ svāgatanyāyo vaiśyadharmaḥ sanātanaḥ //

tilagandharasāścaiva na vikreyāḥ kathañcana /
vaṇikpathamupāsadbhirvaiśyairvaiśyapathi sthitaiḥ //

sarvātithyaṃ trivargasya yathāśakti divāniśam /
evaṃ te vihitā devi lokayātrā svayambhuvā //

tathaiva śūdrā vihitāḥ sarvadharmaprasādhakāḥ /
śūdrāśca yadi te na syuḥ karmakartā na vidyate //

trayaḥ pūrve śūdramūlāḥ sarve karmakarāḥ smṛtāḥ /
brāhmaṇādiṣu śuśrūṣā dāsadharma iti smṛtaḥ //

vārtā ca kārukarmāṇi śilyaṃ nāṭyaṃ tathaiva ca /
ahiṃsakaḥ śubhācāro devatadvijavandakaḥ //

śūdro dharmaphalairiṣṭaiḥ svadharmeṇopapadyate /
evamādi tathā'nyacca śūdradharma iti smṛtaḥ //

te'pyevaṃ vihitā loke karmayogyāḥ śubhānane //

evaṃ caturṇāṃ varṇānāṃ varṇalokāḥ paratra ca /
vihitāśca tathā dṛṣṭā yathāvaddharmacāriṇi //

eṣa varṇāśrayo dharmaḥ karma caiva tadarpaṇam /
kathitaṃ śrotukāmāyāḥ kiṃ bhūyaḥ śrotumicchasi //
umovāca /

bhagavandevadeveśa namaste vṛṣabhadhvaja /
śrotumicchāmyahaṃ deva dharmamāśramiṇāṃ vibho //
maheśvara uvāca /

tathā'śramagataṃ dharmaṃ śṛṇu devi samāhitā /
āśramāṇāṃ tu yo dharmaḥ kriyate brahmavādibhiḥ //

gṛhasthaḥ pravarasteṣāṃ gārhasthyaṃ dharmamāśritaḥ /
pañcayajñakriyāśaucaṃ dāratuṣṭiratandritā //

ṛtukālābhigamanaṃ dānayajñatapāṃsi ca /
avipravāsastasyeṣṭaḥ svādhyāyaśvāgnipūrvakam //

atithīnāmābhimukhyaṃ śaktyā ceṣṭanimantraṇam /
anugrahaśca sarveṣāṃ manovākkāyakarmabhiḥ //

evamādi śubhaṃ cānyatkuryāttadvṛttimāngṛhī / evaṃ sañcaratastasya puṇyalokā na saṃśayaḥ /

tathaiva vānaprasthasya dharmāḥ proktāḥ sanātanāḥ //

gṛhavāsaṃ samutsṛkajya niścityaikamanāḥ śubhaiḥ /
vanyaireva tadāhāraiḥ vartayediti ca sthitiḥ //

bhūmiśayyā jaṭāśmaśrucarmavalkaladhāraṇam /
devatātithisatkāro mahākṛcchrābhipūjanam //

agnihotraṃ triṣavaṇaṃ nityaṃ tasya vidhīyate / brahmacaryaṃ kṣamā śaucaṃ tasya dharmaḥ sanātanaḥ /
evaṃ sa vigate prāṇe devaloke mahīyate //

yatidharmāstathā devi gṛhāṃstyaktvā yatastataḥ /
ākiñcanyamanārambhaḥ sarvataḥ śaucamārjavam //

sarvatra bhaikṣacaryā ca sarvatraiva vivāsanam / sadā dhyānaparatvaṃ ca dehaśuddhiḥ kṣamā dayā /
tatvānugatabuddhitvaṃ tasya dharmavidhirbhavet //

brahmacārī ca yo devi janmaprabhṛti bhikṣitaḥ / brahmacaryaparo bhūtvā sādhayedgurumātmanaḥ /
sarvakāleṣu sarvatra gurupūjāṃ samācaret //

bhaikṣacaryāgnikāryaṃ ca sadā jalaniṣevaṇam /
svādhyāyaḥ satataṃ tasya eṣa dharmaḥ sanātanaḥ //

tasya ceṣṭā tu gurvarthamāprāṇāntamiti sthitiḥ /
gurorabhāve tatputre guruvadvṛttimācaret //

evaṃ sopyamalām̐llokānbrāhmaṇaḥ pratipadyate /
eṣa te kathito devi dharmaścāśramavāsinām //

caturṇāmāśramo yukto loka ityeva vidyate /
kathitaṃ te samāsena kiṃ bhūyaḥ śrotumicchasi //