Shloka 11
Cāturāśramya-dharma—Marks of the Four Āśramas (चातुराश्रम्यधर्मः)
यो विकर्मस्थितो विप्रो न स सम्मानमहति । कर्म स्वं नोपयुञ्जानमविश्वास्यं हि तं विदु:
yo vikarmasthito vipro na sa sammānam arhati | karma svaṃ nopayuñjānam aviśvāsyaṃ hi taṃ viduḥ ||
যি ব্ৰাহ্মণ বিকৰ্মত (অধৰ্মকৰ্মত) স্থিত থাকে, সি সন্মানৰ যোগ্য নহয়। যি নিজৰ নিৰ্দিষ্ট কৰ্ম পালন নকৰে, তাক অবিশ্বাস্য বুলি ধৰা হয়।
इन्द्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
Honor is tied to dharmic conduct: a Brahmin who engages in prohibited actions (vikarma) and neglects his own prescribed duties forfeits social esteem and is deemed unreliable.
In a didactic passage of the Śānti Parva, Indra articulates a moral judgment about Brahmin behavior, emphasizing that status and respect depend on adherence to one’s proper duties rather than mere birth or title.