Shloka 49
Prāyaścitta-vidhāna: Tapas, Dāna, Vrata, and Proportional Expiation (प्रायश्चित्तविधानम्)
देवतानां पितृणां च हव्यकव्यविनाशकः । शत्रुरर्थहरो मूर्खो न लोकान् प्राप्तुमहति
devatānāṁ pitṝṇāṁ ca havyakavyavināśakaḥ | śatrur arthaharo mūrkho na lokān prāptum arhati ||
Vyāsa said: “A fool who destroys the offerings meant for the gods and the ancestral rites is an enemy who steals away wealth. Such a misguided person is unfit to attain the higher worlds (earned through righteous giving and proper sacrifice).”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
One who undermines or destroys sacred offerings—yajña for the gods and śrāddha for the ancestors—acts as a social and spiritual enemy, harming others’ wealth and merit; such conduct disqualifies one from attaining higher realms gained through dharmic giving and ritual duty.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and right conduct, Vyāsa characterizes the ‘mūrkha’ (deluded person) who disrupts sacrificial and ancestral rites as a destructive force—equated with an enemy and thief—thereby warning against behavior that blocks spiritual progress.