Shloka 24
Umā–Maheśvara-saṃvāda: Varṇa-bhraṃśa, Ācāra (Vṛtta), and Karmic Ascent/Decline
धर्म उवाच राजपौरुषिके विप्रे घाण्टिके परिचारिके । गोरक्षके वाणिजके तथा कारुकुशीलवे
dharma uvāca rājapauruṣike vipre ghāṇṭike paricārike | gorakṣake vāṇijake tathā kārukuśīlave, piṇḍadāstasya hīyante na ca prīṇāti vai pitṝn |
धर्म ने कहा—हे ब्राह्मण! जो राजसेवा से जीविका चलाता हो, वेतन लेकर घण्टा बजानेवाला हो, पर-सेवक हो, गोरक्षा, वाणिज्य, शिल्प या नट-विद्या से जीवनयापन करता हो—ऐसे को पिण्ड देनेवाले की पुण्य-सम्पदा घटती है और पितर भी तृप्त नहीं होते।
धर्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the efficacy of ancestral offerings (piṇḍa/śrāddha) depends not only on the giver’s intent but also on the ritual fitness of the recipient; giving śrāddha offerings to certain livelihood-groups is said to diminish the giver’s merit and fail to satisfy the ancestors.
Dharma is laying down prescriptive norms for pitṛ-kārya (ancestral rites) within a broader Anuśāsana-parvan discussion on dharma, specifying categories of people to whom śrāddha offerings should not be given, and stating the negative consequence for the giver and the pitṛs.