Shloka 24
Umā–Maheśvara-saṃvāda: Varṇa-bhraṃśa, Ācāra (Vṛtta), and Karmic Ascent/Decline
धर्म उवाच राजपौरुषिके विप्रे घाण्टिके परिचारिके । गोरक्षके वाणिजके तथा कारुकुशीलवे
dharma uvāca rājapauruṣike vipre ghāṇṭike paricārike | gorakṣake vāṇijake tathā kārukuśīlave, piṇḍadāstasya hīyante na ca prīṇāti vai pitṝn |
Dharma sprach: „O Brāhmaṇa, wenn jemand vom königlichen Dienst lebt, oder Lohn dafür nimmt, die Glocke zu schlagen, oder anderen als Knecht dient; wenn er seinen Lebensunterhalt durch Viehhüten, Handel oder durch Handwerk und darstellende Kunst bestreitet—dann sinkt das Verdienst dessen, der einem solchen Menschen den piṇḍa (Totenopfer) gibt, und die Ahnen werden nicht zufrieden.“
धर्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the efficacy of ancestral offerings (piṇḍa/śrāddha) depends not only on the giver’s intent but also on the ritual fitness of the recipient; giving śrāddha offerings to certain livelihood-groups is said to diminish the giver’s merit and fail to satisfy the ancestors.
Dharma is laying down prescriptive norms for pitṛ-kārya (ancestral rites) within a broader Anuśāsana-parvan discussion on dharma, specifying categories of people to whom śrāddha offerings should not be given, and stating the negative consequence for the giver and the pitṛs.