Shloka 5
ब्रह्मस्वहरण-निषेधः — Prohibition of Appropriating Brahmin Property
Brahmasva
चाण्डाल उवाच ब्राह्मणस्य गवां राजन् द्वियतीनां रज: पुरा । सोममुध्वंसयामास त॑ सोम॑ येडपिबन् द्विजा:
cāṇḍāla uvāca | brāhmaṇasya gavāṃ rājan dvijatīnāṃ rajaḥ purā | somam udhvaṃsayāmāsa tat somaṃ ye ’dapiban dvijāḥ ||
El Caṇḍāla dijo: «Oh rey, hace mucho tiempo unas vacas pertenecientes a un brāhmaṇa fueron arrebatadas y conducidas lejos. Mientras las llevaban, el polvo de sus pezuñas, mezclado con diminutas gotas de leche, cayó sobre el Soma y lo corrompió. Los dvija que bebieron aquel Soma, y el rey que había tomado la iniciación sacrificial para ese rito, cayeron pronto al infierno. Junto con los sacerdotes oficiantes, el rey quedó destinado al infierno, porque el sacrificio se sostuvo con riqueza tomada a un brāhmaṇa.»
चाण्डाल उवाच
Educational Q&A
A sacrifice does not become meritorious merely by correct ritual form; if it is supported by stolen or unrighteous wealth, it becomes tainted, and both patron and priests share the karmic consequence.
The Caṇḍāla recounts an earlier incident: cows belonging to a Brāhmaṇa were unlawfully taken; as they were driven away, dust from their hooves fell into the Soma and defiled it. Those who drank it—together with the initiated king and officiants connected with the rite—incurred grave downfall because the ritual was linked to the wrongdoing.