Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 21
ब्रह्मस्वहरण-निषेधः — Prohibition of Appropriating Brahmin Property
Brahmasva
स्वाध्यायैस्तु महत्पापं हरन्ति गृहमेधिन:
svādhyāyais tu mahat pāpaṁ haranti gṛhamedhinaḥ
The householder, through svādhyāya—devoted self-study and the recitation of sacred texts—removes even great sin. This saying affirms that disciplined learning and daily scriptural practice are not merely intellectual pursuits, but ethical purification, attainable within ordinary domestic life.
चाण्डाल उवाच
Educational Q&A
Regular svādhyāya—disciplined study and recitation of sacred teachings—has purificatory power; even a householder engaged in worldly responsibilities can remove grave moral taint through sustained scriptural practice.
A speaker identified as a Caṇḍāla states a dharma-principle: householders are not excluded from spiritual purification; through svādhyāya they can eradicate great sin, emphasizing practice over social status.