Shloka 95
Duḥṣantasya Vana-praveśaḥ
King Duḥṣanta’s Entry into the Forest Hunt
तन्मे सहस्रममितं कस्मान्नेहाजयत् तपः । गरीयान् ब्राह्णवध: सर्वभूतवधाद् यत:,“मैंने अगणित सहस्रगुना तप किया है। फिर उस तपने मेरे छोटे-से पापको क्यों नहीं नष्ट कर दिया। ब्राह्मणका वध समस्त प्राणियोंके वधसे बड़ा है
tan me sahasram amitaṁ kasmān nehājayat tapaḥ | garīyān brāhmaṇa-vadhaḥ sarva-bhūta-vadhād yataḥ ||
I have performed austerities a thousandfold, beyond measure. Why, then, has that penance not conquered and destroyed this small sin of mine? For the killing of a brāhmaṇa is heavier—more grievous—than the killing of all other living beings.
दाश उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores a key dharmic hierarchy of wrongdoing: brahminicide (brāhmaṇa-vadha/brahmahatyā) is treated as an exceptionally grave sin, not easily neutralized even by vast austerities. It highlights that moral weight is not measured only by quantity of harm but also by the protected status and symbolic role of the brāhmaṇa within the dharma-order.
Dāśa speaks in remorse and self-questioning. He claims to have undertaken immense tapas, yet finds that his guilt remains unresolved, and he explains why: the act he is burdened by—killing a brāhmaṇa—is considered heavier than killing other beings, making expiation difficult.