Shloka 456
Adhyāya 166: Kṛtaghna-doṣa (कृतघ्नदोषः) — the fault of ingratitude and the limits of expiation
तावती: स समा राजन् नरके प्रतिपद्यते । अतः न ब्राह्मणको गाली दे और न उसे कभी धरती पर गिरावे। राजन! ब्राह्मणके शरीरमें घाव हो जानेपर उससे निकला हुआ रक्त धूलके जितने कणोंको भिगोता है
tāvatīḥ sa samā rājan narake pratipadyate | ataḥ na brāhmaṇako gālī de aur na use kabhī dhartī par girāve | rājan! brāhmaṇake śarīrameṃ ghāva ho jānepara usase nikalā huā rakta dhūlake jitane kaṇoṃko bhigotā hai, use coṭa pahuṃcānevālā manuṣya utane hī varṣoṃtaka narakameṃ paṛā rahatā hai |
ビーシュマは言った。「王よ、その数の年だけ人は地獄に堕ちる。ゆえにブラーフマナを罵ってはならず、決して地に打ち倒してもならぬ。王よ、もしブラーフマナの身体に傷を負わせれば、流れ出た血が塵の粒を潤すその数に等しい年数だけ、加害者は地獄に横たわることになる。」
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that harming or even insulting a Brahmin is a grave adharma with severe karmic consequences: the punishment in hell is proportionate to the harm caused, emphasizing restraint in speech and action and the ruler’s duty to protect the socially and ritually revered.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction section, Bhishma addresses the king (Yudhiṣṭhira) and lays down a rule of conduct: do not abuse or physically assault Brahmins. He illustrates the severity by a vivid measure—years in hell equal to the dust-particles wetted by the Brahmin’s spilled blood.