निबोध च शुभां वाणी यां प्रवक्ष्यामि तेडनघ । न ब्राह्मणे परिभव: कर्तव्यस्ते कदाचन
nibodha ca śubhāṁ vāṇīṁ yāṁ pravakṣyāmi te 'nagha | na brāhmaṇe paribhavaḥ kartavyas te kadācana ||
Mārkaṇḍeya said: “Listen carefully to these auspicious words that I shall speak to you, O blameless one. Never, at any time, should you show contempt or insult toward a brāhmaṇa.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
One should never show contempt or cause humiliation to a brāhmaṇa; respectful conduct and restrained speech are presented as essential to dharma.
The sage Mārkaṇḍeya begins a direct instruction, asking the listener to attend to his auspicious counsel, and he opens with a clear ethical prohibition against disrespecting brāhmaṇas.