Shloka 28

अश्वमेधावसानम् — Dakṣiṇā-vibhāga and Avabhṛtha

Completion of the Aśvamedha

Devanagari script

धर्मवैतंसिको यस्तु पापात्मा पुरुषाधम: । ददाति दान विप्रेभ्यो लोकविश्वासकारणम्‌,जो धर्मध्वजी, पापात्मा एवं नराधम है, वह लोकमें अपना विश्वास जमानेके लिये ब्राह्मणोंको दान देता है, धर्मके लिये नहीं

Transliteration

dharmavaitāṁsiko yas tu pāpātmā puruṣādhamaḥ | dadāti dāna viprebhyo lokaviśvāsakāraṇam ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: “That man—who is a mere pretender of dharma, sinful at heart and the lowest among men—gives gifts to Brahmins only to win the world’s trust, not out of genuine commitment to righteousness.”

Word by Word

धर्मवैतंसिकःone who makes a show/ornament of dharma (a hypocrite)

यःwho

तुbut/indeed

पापात्माsinful-souled person

पुरुषाधमःlowest of men

ददातिgives

दानम्a gift/charity

विप्रेभ्यःto the brahmins

लोकविश्वासकारणम्for the sake of gaining public trust

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Brahmins (vipra)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse distinguishes outward religious acts from inner righteousness: charity (dāna) done to gain reputation or public trust is ethically tainted when the giver is hypocritical and lacks genuine dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana characterizes a certain type of person—a dharma-pretender—explaining that such a man gives gifts to Brahmins not as true piety but as a strategy to secure social credibility.