Shloka 23
ब्रह्मस्वहरण-निषेधः — Prohibition of Appropriating Brahmin Property
Brahmasva
अहं हि पापयोन्यां वै प्रसूत: क्षत्रियर्षभ । निश्चयं नाधिगच्छामि कथं मुच्येयमित्युत,क्षत्रियशिरोमणे! मैं पापयोनिमें उत्पन्न हुआ हूँ। मुझे यह निश्चय नहीं हो पाता कि मैं किस उपायसे मुक्त हो सकूँगा?
ahaṃ hi pāpayonyāṃ vai prasūtaḥ kṣatriyarṣabha | niścayaṃ nādhigacchāmi kathaṃ mucyeyam ity uta ||
Caṇḍāla itu berkata: “Wahai yang terbaik di antara para Kṣatriya, aku sungguh terlahir dari rahim yang berdosa. Aku tak mampu mencapai kepastian—dengan cara apakah aku dapat terbebas (dari keadaan ini)?”
चाण्डाल उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds moral agency and the longing for release: even one who considers himself burdened by a stigmatized or ‘sinful’ birth seeks a clear path to purification and freedom, implying that ethical transformation is a meaningful concern regardless of social origin.
A Caṇḍāla addresses a distinguished Kṣatriya, confessing his low and blameworthy birth and expressing confusion about the means of attaining release—setting up a dialogue about expiation, dharma, and the possibility of uplift or liberation.