Shloka 3
Gaṅgā-māhātmya: Siddha–Śilavṛtti-saṃvāda and Gaṅgā-stava (गङ्गामाहात्म्यं—सिद्ध-शिलवृत्ति-संवादः)
चतुर्थस्त्वं वसिष्ठस्य तत्त्वमाख्याहि मे मुने । अहिंसयित्वा केनेह ब्रह्महत्या विधीयते
caturthas tvaṁ vasiṣṭhasya tattvam ākhyāhi me mune | ahiṁsayitvā keneha brahmahatyā vidhīyate ||
Bhīṣma dit : « Ô sage, tu es le quatrième dans la lignée de Vasiṣṭha. Dis-moi la vérité avec précision : en ce monde, par quels actes naît le péché de brahmahatyā (la faute la plus grave liée à la mort d’un Brāhmane), alors même qu’on n’a pas exercé de violence contre un Brāhmane ? »
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharma inquiry: grave moral guilt (brahmahatyā) may be incurred not only through direct physical killing but also through certain actions that are ethically equivalent or causally connected; Bhīṣma asks for the precise principle governing such accountability.
Bhīṣma addresses a sage descended from Vasiṣṭha, requesting an authoritative clarification about which deeds can bring the stigma of brahmahatyā even when one has not directly harmed a Brahmin.