Shloka 49
Prāyaścitta-vidhāna: Tapas, Dāna, Vrata, and Proportional Expiation (प्रायश्चित्तविधानम्)
देवतानां पितृणां च हव्यकव्यविनाशकः । शत्रुरर्थहरो मूर्खो न लोकान् प्राप्तुमहति,“मूर्ख ब्राह्मण देवताओंके यज्ञ और पितरोंके श्राद्धका नाश करनेवाला होता है। वह धनका अपहरण करनेवाला शत्रु है। वह दान देनेवालोंको उत्तम लोकमें नहीं पहुँचा सकता”
devatānāṁ pitṝṇāṁ ca havyakavyavināśakaḥ | śatrur arthaharo mūrkho na lokān prāptum arhati ||
ದೇವತೆಗಳ ಹವ್ಯವನ್ನೂ ಪಿತೃಗಳ ಕವ್ಯವನ್ನೂ ನಾಶಮಾಡುವ ಮೂಢನು ಧನವನ್ನು ಕಸಿಯುವ ಶತ್ರುವೇ; ಅಂಥ ದುರ್ದಾರಿಯು ಉನ್ನತ ಲೋಕಗಳನ್ನು ಪಡೆಯಲು ಅರ್ಹನಲ್ಲ।
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
One who undermines or destroys sacred offerings—yajña for the gods and śrāddha for the ancestors—acts as a social and spiritual enemy, harming others’ wealth and merit; such conduct disqualifies one from attaining higher realms gained through dharmic giving and ritual duty.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and right conduct, Vyāsa characterizes the ‘mūrkha’ (deluded person) who disrupts sacrificial and ancestral rites as a destructive force—equated with an enemy and thief—thereby warning against behavior that blocks spiritual progress.