Shloka 5
Gaṅgā-māhātmya: Siddha–Śilavṛtti-saṃvāda and Gaṅgā-stava (गङ्गामाहात्म्यं—सिद्ध-शिलवृत्ति-संवादः)
ब्राह्मणं स्वयमाहूय भिक्षार्थे कृशवृत्तिनम् । ब्रूयान्नास्तीति यः पश्चात्तं विद्याद् ब्रह्मघातिनम्
brāhmaṇaṁ svayam āhūya bhikṣārthe kṛśavṛttinam | brūyān nāstīti yaḥ paścāt taṁ vidyād brahmaghātinam ||
Bhishma dit : «Celui qui fait venir de lui-même un brahmane dont les moyens d’existence se sont amenuisés, sous prétexte de lui donner l’aumône, puis déclare ensuite : “Il n’y a rien (à donner)”, sachez-le : c’est un meurtrier de brahmane, coupable comme celui qui commet la brahma-hatyā.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
To invite a needy Brahmin with the promise of alms and then deny him is treated as an extreme moral offense—equated with brahma-hatyā—because it combines deception, humiliation of the vulnerable, and violation of the duty of giving.
Bhishma, instructing on dharma, states a rule of conduct: if a person personally calls a Brahmin whose livelihood is diminished for the purpose of giving alms but later says ‘I have nothing,’ that person should be regarded as grievously sinful, like a Brahmin-slayer.