Shloka 11
Cāturāśramya-dharma—Marks of the Four Āśramas (चातुराश्रम्यधर्मः)
यो विकर्मस्थितो विप्रो न स सम्मानमहति । कर्म स्वं नोपयुञ्जानमविश्वास्यं हि तं विदु:
yo vikarmasthito vipro na sa sammānam arhati | karma svaṃ nopayuñjānam aviśvāsyaṃ hi taṃ viduḥ ||
जो ब्राह्मण विकर्मात (अधर्मकर्मात) स्थित असतो, तो सन्मानास पात्र नाही. जो आपल्या नियत कर्माचे आचरण करत नाही, असा ब्राह्मणही अविश्वसनीय मानला जातो.
इन्द्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
Honor is tied to dharmic conduct: a Brahmin who engages in prohibited actions (vikarma) and neglects his own prescribed duties forfeits social esteem and is deemed unreliable.
In a didactic passage of the Śānti Parva, Indra articulates a moral judgment about Brahmin behavior, emphasizing that status and respect depend on adherence to one’s proper duties rather than mere birth or title.