Shloka 16

अहिंसयित्वा ब्रह्महत्याविधानम् / Brahmahatyā incurred without physical violence

Devanagari script

युधिषछ्िर उवाच यदि ते ब्राह्मणा लोके व्रतिनो भुञ्जते हवि: । दत्तं ब्राह्गकामाय कथं तत्‌ सुकृतं भवेत्‌

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca yadi te brāhmaṇā loke vratino bhuñjate haviḥ | dattaṃ brāhma-kāmāya kathaṃ tat sukṛtaṃ bhavet ||

Translation

ଯୁଧିଷ୍ଠିର କହିଲେ—ପିତାମହ! ଯଦି ଏହି ଲୋକରେ ବ୍ରତଧାରୀ ବ୍ରାହ୍ମଣମାନେ ଶ୍ରାଦ୍ଧରେ ହବିଷ୍ୟାନ୍ନ ଭୋଜନ କରନ୍ତି, ତେବେ ‘ବ୍ରାହ୍ମ’ (ଶ୍ରେଷ୍ଠ) ଫଳର କାମନାରେ ଦିଆଯାଇଥିବା ଦାନ କିପରି ସଫଳ ସୁକୃତ ହେବ?

Word by Word

• युधिष्ठिरः: Yudhiṣṭhira
• युधिष्ठिरः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधिष्ठिर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Perfect, Third, Singular

• यदि: if
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि

• ते: of you / your
• ते: Sampradana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: त्वद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• ब्राह्मणाः: Brahmins
• ब्राह्मणाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• लोके: in the world
• लोके: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• व्रतिनः: vow-observers (brahmacārins/ascetics)
• व्रतिनः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्रतिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• भुञ्जते: eat, partake
• Type: Verb
• Root: भुज्
• Form: Present, Third, Plural

• हविः: havis (sacrificial food/oblation)
• हविः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: हविस्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• दत्तम्: given
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular, क्त (past passive participle)

• ब्राह्मकामाय: to/for one desiring Brahman (a brahma-seeker)
• ब्राह्मकामाय: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मकाम
• Form: Masculine, Dative, Singular

• कथम्: how
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम्

• तत्: that (gift/act)
• तत्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• सुकृतम्: merit, good deed (as meritorious result)
• सुकृतम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुकृत
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• भवेत्: would become / could be
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू
• Form: Optative, Third, Singular

Speaker

युधिषछ्िर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Brāhmaṇas
• vratins (vow-observers)
• havis (ritual offering food)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse raises an ethical-ritual doubt: when recipients are under strict vows, does accepting and eating śrāddha havis affect the merit of the donor’s gift? It probes how intention (kāma), recipient-eligibility, and ritual context together determine whether a donation becomes true sukṛta (merit).

What is happening in the narrative?

In Anuśāsana Parva, Yudhiṣṭhira questions Bhīṣma (the grandsire) about dharma. Here he asks how a śrāddha-gift aimed at high religious merit can be considered successful if vow-observing Brahmins partake of the havis food, implying a potential conflict between their vrata-discipline and śrāddha consumption.