Shloka 5
ब्रह्मस्वहरण-निषेधः — Prohibition of Appropriating Brahmin Property
Brahmasva
चाण्डाल उवाच ब्राह्मणस्य गवां राजन् द्वियतीनां रज: पुरा । सोममुध्वंसयामास त॑ सोम॑ येडपिबन् द्विजा:
cāṇḍāla uvāca | brāhmaṇasya gavāṃ rājan dvijatīnāṃ rajaḥ purā | somam udhvaṃsayāmāsa tat somaṃ ye ’dapiban dvijāḥ ||
Sang Caṇḍāla berkata: “Wahai Raja, pada masa lampau beberapa sapi milik seorang brāhmaṇa pernah dirampas. Ketika sapi-sapi itu digiring pergi, debu dari telapak kakinya—bercampur butir-butir susu—jatuh ke atas Soma dan menajiskannya. Para dwija yang meminum Soma itu, dan raja yang telah menerima dīkṣā untuk yajña tersebut, semuanya segera jatuh ke neraka. Karena yajña itu ditopang oleh harta yang dirampas dari seorang brāhmaṇa, sang raja pun menjadi terikat pada neraka bersama para imam pelaksana.”
चाण्डाल उवाच
Educational Q&A
A sacrifice does not become meritorious merely by correct ritual form; if it is supported by stolen or unrighteous wealth, it becomes tainted, and both patron and priests share the karmic consequence.
The Caṇḍāla recounts an earlier incident: cows belonging to a Brāhmaṇa were unlawfully taken; as they were driven away, dust from their hooves fell into the Soma and defiled it. Those who drank it—together with the initiated king and officiants connected with the rite—incurred grave downfall because the ritual was linked to the wrongdoing.