Shloka 12
अहिंसयित्वा ब्रह्महत्याविधानम् / Brahmahatyā incurred without physical violence
काश्यप उवाच सर्वे च वेदा: सह षड्भिरज्जैः सांख्यं पुराणं च कुले च जन्म । नैतानि सर्वाणि गतिर्भवन्ति शीलव्यपेतस्य नृप द्विजस्य
kāśyapa uvāca
sarve ca vedāḥ saha ṣaḍbhir aṅgaiḥ sāṅkhyaṃ purāṇaṃ ca kule ca janma |
naitāni sarvāṇi gatir bhavanti śīla-vyapetasya nṛpa dvijasya ||
Kāśyapa dit : « Ô roi, quand bien même un brahmane posséderait tous les Veda avec leurs six auxiliaires, ainsi que la connaissance du Sāṅkhya et des Purāṇa, et quand bien même il serait né dans une lignée excellente, rien de tout cela, même réuni, ne devient un moyen d’atteindre une destinée plus haute pour celui qui est dépourvu de bonne conduite. »
काश्यप उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ethical character (śīla) is presented as the decisive factor for attaining a higher goal (gati). Scriptural learning, philosophical knowledge, traditional lore, and even noble birth are insufficient if a person lacks good conduct.
Kāśyapa addresses a king and delivers a moral instruction: he contrasts external credentials—learning and lineage—with inner virtue, warning that a dvija who is bereft of śīla gains no superior spiritual outcome despite such attainments.