Shloka 11
Cāturāśramya-dharma—Marks of the Four Āśramas (चातुराश्रम्यधर्मः)
यो विकर्मस्थितो विप्रो न स सम्मानमहति । कर्म स्वं नोपयुञ्जानमविश्वास्यं हि तं विदु:
yo vikarmasthito vipro na sa sammānam arhati | karma svaṃ nopayuñjānam aviśvāsyaṃ hi taṃ viduḥ ||
Indra dit : «Le brahmane qui demeure dans la conduite fautive (vikarma) ne mérite pas les honneurs. En vérité, celui qui ne met pas en pratique ses devoirs prescrits est tenu pour indigne de confiance.»
इन्द्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
Honor is tied to dharmic conduct: a Brahmin who engages in prohibited actions (vikarma) and neglects his own prescribed duties forfeits social esteem and is deemed unreliable.
In a didactic passage of the Śānti Parva, Indra articulates a moral judgment about Brahmin behavior, emphasizing that status and respect depend on adherence to one’s proper duties rather than mere birth or title.