Shloka 8
Adhyāya 166: Kṛtaghna-doṣa (कृतघ्नदोषः) — the fault of ingratitude and the limits of expiation
आहरेदथ नो किज्चित् कामं॑ शूद्रस्य वेश्मन: । न हि यज्ञेषु शूद्रस्य किज्चिदस्ति परिग्रह:
āhared atha no kiñcit kāmaṁ śūdrasya veśmanaḥ | na hi yajñeṣu śūdrasya kiñcid asti parigrahaḥ ||
ভীষ্ম বললেন—রাজা নিজের ইচ্ছামতো শূদ্রের গৃহ থেকে সামান্যও কিছু গ্রহণ করবে না; কারণ যজ্ঞে শূদ্রের কোনো পরিগ্রহ বা অধিকার নেই।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler must not exploit a Śūdra household by arbitrary taking; royal power should be restrained and protective, even while the verse reflects the text’s ritual framework that denies the Śūdra a sacrificial share (parigraha) in yajñas.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on rājadharma (duties of kings). Here he gives a specific rule about what a king should not take from a Śūdra’s home, grounding it in the traditional distribution of rights and shares connected with sacrificial rites.