Shloka 6
वेतनं तस्य विहितं शालिवाहस्य भोजनम् । महिषौ पुरुषश्लैको यस्तदादाय गच्छति,उसके लिये कर नियत किया गया है--बीस खारी अगहनीके चावलका भात, दो भैंसे और एक मनुष्य, जो वह सब सामान लेकर उसके पास जाता है
vetanaṁ tasya vihitaṁ śālivāhasya bhojanam | mahiṣau puruṣaślaiko yas tad ādāya gacchati ||
The brāhmaṇa said: “For him, the stipulated payment has been fixed: food for Śālivāha—namely a meal of autumn-harvest rice—together with two buffaloes and one man, to be delivered by whoever takes all these items and goes to him.”
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds how ‘prescribed dues’ can be treated as legitimate by custom, yet may conceal moral harm—especially when a human being is counted among transferable items. It invites reflection on dharma as more than social convention: ethical scrutiny is required when norms commodify life.
A brāhmaṇa speaker states the fixed compensation/levy owed: provisions (a meal of rice) for Śālivāha, plus two buffaloes and one man, to be delivered by whoever carries these items to him. The statement functions as a formal specification of what must be paid and delivered.