Shloka 25

Umā–Maheśvara-saṃvāda: Varṇa-bhraṃśa, Ācāra (Vṛtta), and Karmic Ascent/Decline

Devanagari script

मित्रद्रुह्नन धीयाने यश्व स्वाद्‌ वृषलीपति: । एतेषु दैवं पित्रयं वा न देयं स्थात्‌ कथंचन

Transliteration

mitradruhṇeṇa dhīyāne yaśva svād vṛṣalīpatiḥ | eteṣu daivaṁ pitryaṁ vā na deyaṁ syāt kathaṁcana ||

Translation

Dharma said: “Even if one is a friend-betrayer, even if one is of corrupt conduct, even if one is a ‘lord of a vṛṣalī’ (one who lives by ignoble, socially condemned ways), to such persons one must never, under any circumstance, offer what is meant for the gods or for the ancestors.”

Word by Word

• मित्रद्रुह्णे: in/with a betrayer of friends
• मित्रद्रुह्णे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: मित्रद्रुह्
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• अधीये: I study / I learn
• अधीये: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: अधि-इ
• Form: Present, First, Singular, Parasmaipada

• यश्व: fame
• यश्व: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: यशस्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• स्वात्: from one’s own (side)
• स्वात्: Apadana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: स्व
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Ablative, Singular

• वृषलीपतिः: husband of a śūdra-woman / one married to a vṛṣalī
• वृषलीपतिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृषलीपति
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• एतेषु: among these / in these cases
• एतेषु: Adhikarana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative, Plural

• दैवम्: offering to the gods / divine (share)
• दैवम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: दैव
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• पित्र्यम्: ancestral (share/rite) (for the Pitṛs)
• पित्र्यम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पित्र्य
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• वा: or
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• देयम्: to be given / should be given
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा
• Form: Gerundive (Anīyar/ya), Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• स्यात्: should be / would be
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस्
• Form: Optative, Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• कथंचन: in any way / at all
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथंचन

Speaker

धर्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Dharma
• gods (daiva)
• ancestors (pitṛs)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Offerings intended for the gods (daiva) and the ancestors (pitrya) must not be given to persons of treacherous or morally corrupt character; ritual giving is governed by ethical fitness of the recipient.

What is happening in the narrative?

Dharma is laying down a normative rule within a discourse on right conduct: he identifies certain disqualifying traits (betrayal of friends, corrupt behavior, ignoble associations) and states that such people are not to receive divine or ancestral offerings.