Shloka 12
अहिंसयित्वा ब्रह्महत्याविधानम् / Brahmahatyā incurred without physical violence
काश्यप उवाच सर्वे च वेदा: सह षड्भिरज्जैः सांख्यं पुराणं च कुले च जन्म । नैतानि सर्वाणि गतिर्भवन्ति शीलव्यपेतस्य नृप द्विजस्य,काश्यप कहते हैं--नरेश्वर! जो ब्राह्मण शीलसे रहित हैं, उसे छहों अंगोंसहित वेद, सांख्य और पुराणका ज्ञान तथा उत्तम कुलमें जन्म--ये सब मिलकर भी उत्तम गति नहीं प्रदान कर सकते
kāśyapa uvāca
sarve ca vedāḥ saha ṣaḍbhir aṅgaiḥ sāṅkhyaṃ purāṇaṃ ca kule ca janma |
naitāni sarvāṇi gatir bhavanti śīla-vyapetasya nṛpa dvijasya ||
Kāśyapa said: O king, even if a brahmin possesses all the Vedas together with their six auxiliaries, along with knowledge of Sāṅkhya and the Purāṇas, and even if he is born in an excellent lineage—none of these, taken together, become a means to a higher destiny for one who is devoid of good conduct.
काश्यप उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ethical character (śīla) is presented as the decisive factor for attaining a higher goal (gati). Scriptural learning, philosophical knowledge, traditional lore, and even noble birth are insufficient if a person lacks good conduct.
Kāśyapa addresses a king and delivers a moral instruction: he contrasts external credentials—learning and lineage—with inner virtue, warning that a dvija who is bereft of śīla gains no superior spiritual outcome despite such attainments.