Shloka 10
धर्मनिन्दा–धर्मोपासनाफलम् तथा साध्वाचारलक्षणम्
Fruits of Disparaging vs. Observing Dharma; Marks of Good Conduct
वैश्यकर्म च यो विप्रो लोभमोहव्यपाश्रय: । ब्राह्माण्यं दुर्लभं प्राप्प करोत्यल्पमति: सदा
vaiśyakarma ca yo vipro lobhamohavyapāśrayaḥ | brāhmaṇyaṁ durlabhaṁ prāpya karoty alpamatiḥ sadā ||
जो विप्र दुर्मिळ ब्राह्मणत्व मिळवूनही लोभ व मोह यांच्या आश्रयाने, सदैव अल्पबुद्धीने वैश्योचित कर्म करतो, तो वैश्य योनित जातो. तसेच वैश्य जर शूद्रोचित कर्म स्वीकारतो, तर तो शूद्रत्व प्राप्त करतो; आणि जो ब्राह्मण शूद्रोचित कर्म करून आपल्या धर्मातून भ्रष्ट होतो, तोही शूद्रत्वास प्राप्त होतो.
श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse warns that abandoning one’s own dharma out of greed and delusion leads to moral and spiritual decline, expressed here as a fall into a lower social condition/birth. It emphasizes integrity of conduct (ācāra) and self-restraint as safeguards of one’s station and responsibilities.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Mahādeva is speaking in a didactic context, laying down norms of conduct and consequences. Here he states that when members of a varṇa adopt the work and behavior of another varṇa due to base motives, they incur degradation, framed as rebirth into that lower status.