Shloka 6
Gaṅgā-māhātmya: Siddha–Śilavṛtti-saṃvāda and Gaṅgā-stava (गङ्गामाहात्म्यं—सिद्ध-शिलवृत्ति-संवादः)
मध्यस्थस्येह विप्रस्थ योडनूचानस्थ भारत । वृत्तिं हरति दुर्बुद्धिस्तं विद्याद् ब्रह्मघातिनम्,“भरतनन्दन! जो दुष्ट बुद्धिवाला मनुष्य तटस्थ रहनेवाले विद्वान् ब्राह्मणकी जीविका छीन लेता है, उसे भी ब्रह्महत्यारा ही समझना चाहिये
madhyasthasyeha viprastha yo 'nūcānastha bhārata | vṛttiṁ harati durbuddhis taṁ vidyād brahmaghātinam ||
Bhishma said: “O descendant of Bharata, know that man of wicked understanding who, here in this world, deprives a neutral and learned Brahmin of his means of livelihood to be no different from a slayer of a Brahmin.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Depriving an impartial, learned Brahmin of his rightful livelihood is condemned as a sin equivalent in gravity to brahmahatyā; economic harm to the righteous is treated as a severe ethical transgression.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma, he warns the listener (addressed as ‘Bharata’) that a wicked person who seizes the subsistence of a neutral, learned Brahmin should be regarded as a brahmaghātin, emphasizing the seriousness of such wrongdoing.