पठन्द्विजो वागृषभत्वमीयात्स्यात्क्षत्रियो भूमिपतित्वमीयात्।
वणिग्जनः पण्यफलत्वमीयाज्जनश्च शूद्रोऽपि महत्त्वमीयात्॥
paṭhan dvijo vāg-ṛṣabhatvam īyāt
syāt kṣatriyo bhūmi-patitvam īyāt
vaṇig-janaḥ paṇya-phalatvam īyāj
janaś ca śūdro ’pi mahattvam īyāt
paṭhan = studying this narration; dvijaḥ = a brāhmaṇa; vāg-ṛṣabhatvam = lordship over speech; īyāt = can attain; syāt = by; kṣatriyaḥ = a kṣatriya; bhūmi-patitvam = lordship over the earth; īyāt = can attain; vaṇig-janaḥ = a vaiśya; paṇya-phalatvam = financial prosperity; īyāt = can attain; janaḥ ca śūdraḥ = a śūdra; api = and; mahattvam = greatness; īyāt = can attain.
By studying [this narration], a brāhmaṇa can attain lordship over speech, a kṣatriya can attain lordship over the earth, a vaiśya can attain financial prosperity and a śūdra can attain greatness.
1 As it will be pointed out later, the varṇas are determined on the basis of guṇa and karma, not birth. We will see, in this very Canto, that Viśvāmitra was born as a kṣatriya and yet he became a brāhmaṇa by quality.
Now, the sage points out the specific benefits that can be obtained by specific varṇas by studying this narration.
By studying this Rāmāyaṇa for beginners, a brāhmaṇa can attain lordship over speech, that is, he can become proficient in the Vedas and Vedāṅgas, a kṣatriya can become an emperor, a merchant can become successful in business and a śūdra can become the best in his community.
Syād can also mean “inferior” [and so this verse points out that even inferior brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas and śūdras can attain their respective exalted results by studying this chapter].1