Shloka 16
ब्रह्मस्वहरण-निषेधः — Prohibition of Appropriating Brahmin Property
Brahmasva
श्वानं वै पापिनं पश्य विवर्ण हरिणं कृशम्
śvānaṃ vai pāpinaṃ paśya vivarṇa hariṇaṃ kṛśam
Der Caṇḍāla sprach: „Sieh—hier ist ein sündiger Hund, und dort ein Hirsch von fahler Farbe, ausgemergelt.“
चाण्डाल उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses the sight of a degraded dog and an emaciated deer to foreground the ethical idea that adharma and pāpa are linked with suffering and decline, prompting the listener to recognize moral causality and respond with discernment and compassion.
A Caṇḍāla addresses someone directly and points out two animals—a ‘sinful’ dog and a pale, thin deer—using them as immediate evidence in a moral or instructive exchange, setting up a discussion about conduct, consequences, and right response.