Shloka 33

Devanagari script

नाहं हालाहलं मन्ये विषं यस्य प्रतिक्रिया । ब्रह्मस्वं हि विषं प्रोक्तं नास्य प्रतिविधिर्भुवि ॥ ३३ ॥

Transliteration

nāhaṁ hālāhalaṁ manye viṣaṁ yasya pratikriyā brahma-svaṁ hi viṣaṁ proktaṁ nāsya pratividhir bhuvi

Translation

Je ne tiens pas le hālāhala pour un vrai poison, car il a son antidote. Mais le bien d’un brāhmaṇa, lorsqu’il est volé, est bien un poison, car en ce monde il n’a nul remède.

Synonyms

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; negation particle

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma, Prathamā (1), Ekavacana

• hālāhalam: Hālāhala poison
• hālāhalam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hālāhala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Dvitīyā (2), Ekavacana

• manye: I consider/think
• manye: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: man (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (present), Ātmanepada, Uttama-puruṣa (1st person), Ekavacana

• viṣam: poison
• viṣam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Dvitīyā (2), Ekavacana; predicate complement to hālāhalam

• yasya: whose
• yasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक; relative pronoun)
• Form: Puṁ/Napuṁ, Ṣaṣṭhī (6), Ekavacana

• pratikriyā: remedy/counteraction
• pratikriyā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pratikriyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā (1), Ekavacana

• brahma-svam: a brāhmaṇa’s property
• brahma-svam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक) + sva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Prathamā/Accusative (1/2), Ekavacana; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष ‘property of a brāhmaṇa’

• hi: indeed/for
• hi: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; particle (emphasis/causal)

• viṣam: poison
• viṣam: Pradhāna (विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Prathamā/Accusative (1/2), Ekavacana; predicate noun

• proktam: is declared/said
• proktam: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु) → prokta (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Napumsaka, Prathamā/Accusative, Ekavacana; impersonal passive sense ‘is said’

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Negation particle

• asya: of this/of it
• asya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (प्रातिपदिक; pronoun)
• Form: Puṁ/Napuṁ, Ṣaṣṭhī (6), Ekavacana

• pratividhiḥ: remedy/means of redress
• pratividhiḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pratividhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Prathamā (1), Ekavacana

• bhuvi: on earth/in the world
• bhuvi: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhū (प्रातिपदिक; bhūmi)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Saptamī (7), Ekavacana

Purport

One who takes a brāhmaṇa’s property, thinking to enjoy it, has actually taken the most deadly poison.

Characters & Entities

• Śrī Kṛṣṇa
• Brāhmaṇas
• Hālāhala

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about stealing brāhmaṇa property (brahma-sva)?

This verse states that brahma-sva is like an incurable poison—unlike ordinary poison, it has no effective counter-remedy in this world, highlighting the extreme gravity of such an offense.

Why did Krishna say this in Canto 10 Chapter 64?

In the Nṛga episode, Kṛṣṇa teaches that even unintended entanglement with brāhmaṇa property can bring severe reactions, so one must be meticulous in charity and never appropriate what belongs to brāhmaṇas.

Practical application of this teaching in modern life?

Respect sacred trusts: avoid misusing donated funds, religious endowments, or resources meant for spiritual service, and practice transparent, careful giving and ethical handling of others’ property.