Shloka 34
The Deliverance of King Nṛga and the Warning Against Taking Brāhmaṇa Property
हिनस्ति विषमत्तारं वह्निरद्भि: प्रशाम्यति । कुलं समूलं दहति ब्रह्मस्वारणिपावक: ॥ ३४ ॥
hinasti viṣam attāraṁ vahnir adbhiḥ praśāmyati kulaṁ sa-mūlaṁ dahati brahma-svāraṇi-pāvakaḥ
Poison kills only the one who drinks it, and ordinary fire can be quenched with water. But the fire kindled from the fuel of a brāhmaṇa’s property burns the thief’s entire family down to the root.
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī compares the fire ignited by stealing a brāhmaṇa’s property to the fire that blazes within the cavity of an old tree. Such a fire cannot be put out even with the water of numerous rainfalls. Rather, it burns the whole tree from within, all the way down to the roots in the ground. Similarly, the fire ignited by stealing a brāhmaṇa’s property is the most deadly and should be avoided at all costs.
FAQs
This verse warns that misappropriating what belongs to brāhmaṇas creates a uniquely destructive reaction—like a sacredly-kindled fire that can burn one’s entire family line to the root.
Because it indicates a potent, dharmic consequence: ordinary dangers can be countered (fire by water), but the offense connected with brahminical wealth is portrayed as especially ruinous and hard to neutralize.
Honor sacred trust: avoid exploiting religious people, institutions, or donations; practice integrity in handling others’ wealth and treat spiritual learning and its supporters with respect.