Shloka 10
ब्रह्मस्वहरण-निषेधः — Prohibition of Appropriating Brahmin Property
Brahmasva
चाण्डालो<हं ततो राजन् भुक्त्वा तदभवं नृप । ब्रह्मस्वहारी च नृप: सो<प्रतिष्ठां गतिं ययौ,महाराज! उस भिक्षान्नको खाकर मैं चाण्डाल हो गया और ब्राह्मणके धनका अपहरण करनेवाले वे राजा भी नरकगामी हो गये
cāṇḍālo ’haṃ tato rājan bhuktvā tad abhavaṃ nṛpa | brahmasvahārī ca nṛpaḥ so ’pratiṣṭhāṃ gatiṃ yayau ||
Dijo el Cāṇḍāla: «Después, oh rey, por comer aquel alimento me convertí en un Cāṇḍāla. Y aquel rey también—que había robado los bienes de un brāhmaṇa—cayó en un rumbo vergonzoso, perdió el honor y fue a un destino de ruina. Así, tanto quien come limosna contaminada como quien viola la propiedad de un brahmán encuentran una grave caída.»
चाण्डाल उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse stresses that adharma has consequences for both parties: consuming morally tainted food can degrade the consumer, and stealing a Brāhmaṇa’s property leads the thief to loss of honor and a ruinous destiny. It links ethical purity (especially regarding food and gifts) with karmic outcome.
A Caṇḍāla recounts to a king that after eating a particular alms-food he became a Caṇḍāla, while the king who had stolen Brahmin property likewise fell into disgrace and a bad fate. The statement functions as a cautionary example within the Anuśāsana Parva’s moral instruction.