Shloka 15
अणीमाण्डव्यने कहा--धर्मशास्त्रके अनुसार जन्मसे लेकर बारह वर्षकी आयुतक बालक जो कुछ भी करेगा, उसमें अधर्म नहीं होगा; क्योंकि उस समयतक बालकको धर्मशास्त्रके आदेशका ज्ञान नहीं हो सकेगा ।। अल्पे5पराधेडपि महान् मम दण्डस्त्वया कृत: । गरीयान् ब्राह्मणवध: सर्वभूतवधादपि,धर्मराज! तुमने थोड़े-से अपराधके लिये मुझे बहुत बड़ा दण्ड दिया है। ब्राह्मणका वध सम्पूर्ण प्राणियोंके वधसे भी अधिक भयंकर है
Aṇīmāṇḍavya uvāca— dharmaśāstrānusāreṇa janmato dvādaśavarṣāyutakaḥ bālakaḥ yad yat kariṣyati, tasmin adharmo na bhavati; yāvat tāvat tasya dharmaśāstrājñā na sambhavati. alpe 'parādhe 'pi mahān mama daṇḍas tvayā kṛtaḥ. garīyān brāhmaṇavadhaḥ sarvabhūtavadhād api, dharmarāja!
Aṇīmāṇḍavya said: “According to the Dharmaśāstras, whatever a child does from birth up to the age of twelve is not counted as adharma, because until then the child cannot truly know the injunctions of sacred law. Yet for a small offence you have inflicted on me a very great punishment. O Dharmarāja, the killing of a brāhmaṇa is graver—even more dreadful—than the killing of all living beings.”
अणीमाण्डग्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse argues proportional justice and moral culpability: a child lacking knowledge of dharma is not held fully blameworthy, and punishment must match the offence. It also underscores the traditional view that harming a brāhmaṇa is an exceptionally grave transgression.
Sage Aṇīmāṇḍavya confronts Dharmarāja (Yama) for imposing an excessive penalty for a minor fault, citing Dharmaśāstra principles about a child’s non-culpability and the extreme gravity of brāhmaṇa-killing.