Shloka 10
धर्मनिन्दा–धर्मोपासनाफलम् तथा साध्वाचारलक्षणम्
Fruits of Disparaging vs. Observing Dharma; Marks of Good Conduct
वैश्यकर्म च यो विप्रो लोभमोहव्यपाश्रय: । ब्राह्माण्यं दुर्लभं प्राप्प करोत्यल्पमति: सदा
vaiśyakarma ca yo vipro lobhamohavyapāśrayaḥ | brāhmaṇyaṁ durlabhaṁ prāpya karoty alpamatiḥ sadā ||
যি বিপ্ৰ দুৰ্লভ ব্ৰাহ্মণ্য লাভ কৰিও লোভ-মোহৰ আশ্ৰয় লৈ, সদায় অল্পবুদ্ধিৰে বৈশ্যোচিত কৰ্ম কৰে, সি বৈশ্য যোনি লাভ কৰে। তেনেদৰে বৈশ্য যদি শূদ্ৰোচিত কৰ্ম গ্ৰহণ কৰে, তেন্তে শূদ্ৰত্ব পায়; আৰু যি ব্ৰাহ্মণ শূদ্ৰোচিত কৰ্ম কৰি নিজৰ ধৰ্মৰ পৰা ভ্ৰষ্ট হয়, সিও শূদ্ৰত্ব লাভ কৰে।
श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse warns that abandoning one’s own dharma out of greed and delusion leads to moral and spiritual decline, expressed here as a fall into a lower social condition/birth. It emphasizes integrity of conduct (ācāra) and self-restraint as safeguards of one’s station and responsibilities.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Mahādeva is speaking in a didactic context, laying down norms of conduct and consequences. Here he states that when members of a varṇa adopt the work and behavior of another varṇa due to base motives, they incur degradation, framed as rebirth into that lower status.