Shloka 50
धर्मनिन्दा–धर्मोपासनाफलम् तथा साध्वाचारलक्षणम्
Fruits of Disparaging vs. Observing Dharma; Marks of Good Conduct
न योनिर्नापि संस्कारो न श्रुतं न च संतति: । कारणानि द्विजत्वस्य वृत्तमेव तु कारणम्
na yonir nāpi saṁskāro na śrutaṁ na ca santatiḥ | kāraṇāni dvijatvasya vṛttam eva tu kāraṇam ||
Śrī Maheśvara said: “Neither birth, nor the sacraments, nor learning of the Veda, nor lineage are the true causes of being a ‘twice-born’. The real cause is conduct alone.” The verse shifts the basis of Brahminhood from inherited status to lived dharma—ethical discipline and right behavior as the decisive mark of spiritual and social worth.
श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच
Educational Q&A
True ‘twice-born’ or Brahmin status is determined primarily by vṛtta (ethical conduct), not by birth (yoni), ritual sacraments (saṁskāra), Vedic learning (śruta), or lineage (santati).
In Anuśāsana Parva’s didactic setting, Śrī Maheśvara delivers a normative teaching on dharma, redefining social-spiritual qualification as a matter of character and behavior rather than inherited markers.