Chapter 74 — Uttara Kanda, Sarga 74

Valmiki Ramayana — Uttara Kanda

Verse 74.21

हीनवर्णो नृपश्रेष्ठ तप्यते सुमहत्तपः। भविष्यच्छूद्रयोन्यां हि तपश्चर्या कलौ युगे॥

hīnavarṇo nṛpaśreṣṭha tapyate sumahattapaḥ| bhaviṣyacchūdrayonyāṃ hi tapaścaryā kalau yuge||

English Meaning

O foremost of men, the degraded caste, the Śūdras, during your rege me, have engaged in austere penances. And in the Kali Yuga asceticism shall be established in the Sūdras.

M.N. Dutt (1891–94, public domain)