Shloka 28
अश्वमेधावसानम् — Dakṣiṇā-vibhāga and Avabhṛtha
Completion of the Aśvamedha
धर्मवैतंसिको यस्तु पापात्मा पुरुषाधम: । ददाति दान विप्रेभ्यो लोकविश्वासकारणम्,जो धर्मध्वजी, पापात्मा एवं नराधम है, वह लोकमें अपना विश्वास जमानेके लिये ब्राह्मणोंको दान देता है, धर्मके लिये नहीं
dharmavaitāṁsiko yas tu pāpātmā puruṣādhamaḥ | dadāti dāna viprebhyo lokaviśvāsakāraṇam ||
Dijo Vaiśampāyana: «Ese hombre —mero impostor del dharma, pecador en su interior y el más vil entre los hombres— da dones a los brahmanes sólo para ganarse la confianza del mundo, no por auténtica devoción a la rectitud».
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse distinguishes outward religious acts from inner righteousness: charity (dāna) done to gain reputation or public trust is ethically tainted when the giver is hypocritical and lacks genuine dharma.
Vaiśampāyana characterizes a certain type of person—a dharma-pretender—explaining that such a man gives gifts to Brahmins not as true piety but as a strategy to secure social credibility.