Shloka 58
Kāla (Right Time), Effort, and the Ethics of Giving — कालः, प्रयत्नः, दानधर्मश्च
ब्राह्मण्यं देवि सम्प्राप्य रक्षितव्यं यतात्मना । योनिप्रतिग्रहादानै: कर्मभिश्न शुचिस्मिते,देवि! शुचिस्मिते! मनुष्यको चाहिये कि वह ब्राह्मणत्वको पाकर मन और इन्द्रियोंको संयममें रखते हुए योनि, प्रतिग्रह और दानकी शुद्धि एवं सत्कर्मोंद्वारा उसकी रक्षा करे
brāhmaṇyaṁ devi samprāpya rakṣitavyaṁ yatātmanā | yonipratigrahadānaiḥ karmabhiś ca śucismite ||
Maheshvara said: “O Goddess, once a person has attained the state and dignity of Brahminhood, it must be carefully protected through self-mastery. With a disciplined mind and senses, one should safeguard that Brahmin status by purity in birth and conduct, by purity in accepting gifts, by purity in giving, and by righteous actions—O fair-smiling one.”
श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Brahminhood is not merely a label but a discipline that must be preserved through self-restraint and ethical purity—especially in matters of personal conduct, accepting gifts, giving charity, and performing righteous deeds.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s instructional discourse, Maheśvara addresses Devī and lays down a norm of conduct: having attained Brahmin status, one must protect it through controlled senses and through purity in key social-religious transactions such as receiving and giving.