Shloka 12
धर्मनिन्दा–धर्मोपासनाफलम् तथा साध्वाचारलक्षणम्
Fruits of Disparaging vs. Observing Dharma; Marks of Good Conduct
तत्रासौ निरयं प्राप्तो वर्णभ्रष्टो बहिष्कृत: | ब्रह्मलोकात् परिश्रष्ट: शूद्र: समुपजायते
tatrāsau nirayaṁ prāpto varṇabhraṣṭo bahiṣkṛtaḥ | brahmalokāt pariśraṣṭaḥ śūdraḥ samupajāyate ||
Là, tombé en enfer, il devient celui qui a glissé hors de l’ordre social prescrit et qui est rejeté. Privé de l’accès à Brahmaloka, il renaît ensuite en Śūdra. Le vers présente cela comme la conséquence éthique de l’abandon des devoirs et de la conduite prescrits, et pose la causalité morale (karma et renaissance) comme régulatrice du rang social et spirituel.
श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that abandoning one’s prescribed dharma and conduct leads to spiritual and social downfall: loss of higher attainments (like Brahmaloka), suffering in hell, and an inferior rebirth. It presents karma as the mechanism linking ethical deviation to future consequences.
Maheśvara describes the post-mortem fate of a person who has become varṇabhraṣṭa and socially excluded: he falls into niraya, is cut off from Brahmaloka, and is subsequently reborn as a Śūdra.