Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 22

ब्रह्मस्वहरण-निषेधः — Prohibition of Appropriating Brahmin Property

Brahmasva

Devanagari script

तथा पापकृतं विप्रमाश्रमस्थं महीपते

Transliteration

tathā pāpakṛtaṁ vipram āśramasthaṁ mahīpate

Translation

So too, O king: a brahmin who has committed sin, even while dwelling in an āśrama—a life of religious discipline—must still be regarded accordingly.

Word by Word

• तथा: thus, in that manner
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• पापकृतम्: sin-doing, evil-doing (person)
• पापकृतम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पापकृत्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• विप्रम्: a brahmin
• विप्रम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• आश्रमस्थम्: dwelling in an āśrama (hermitage)
• आश्रमस्थम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आश्रमस्थ
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• महीपते: O king, lord of the earth
• Type: Noun
• Root: महीपति
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

चाण्डाल उवाच

Characters & Entities

• चाण्डाल (Caṇḍāla, speaker)
• महīपति (the king, addressee)
• विप्र (a brahmin)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Moral responsibility is not erased by social identity or religious residence: even a brahmin living in an āśrama remains accountable for sinful actions; dharma evaluates conduct, not merely status.

What is happening in the narrative?

A Caṇḍāla addresses a king and draws an ethical comparison: he points out that if a brahmin commits wrongdoing, his being situated in an āśrama does not automatically sanctify him—setting up a broader argument about judging people by deeds.