Shloka 14
ब्रह्मस्वहरण-निषेधः — Prohibition of Appropriating Brahmin Property
Brahmasva
सोम॑ तु रजसा ध्वस्तं विक्रीणन् विधिपूर्वकम् | श्रोत्रियो वार्धुषी भूत्वा न चिरं स विनश्यति
somaṃ tu rajasā dhvastaṃ vikrīṇan vidhipūrvakam | śrotriyo vārddhuṣī bhūtvā na ciraṃ sa vinaśyati ||
Disse o Caṇḍāla: “Mesmo um brâmane versado nos Vedas, se vender Soma maculado por poeira—poeira dos cascos das vacas—e pelo leite, ainda que o faça segundo o rito; ou se se voltar à usura e viver de empréstimos a juros, não perdura por muito tempo: rapidamente cai em ruína.”
चाण्डाल उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ritual correctness alone cannot justify an unethical livelihood: selling impure sacrificial Soma or adopting usury is portrayed as adharma that leads to swift downfall, even for a Veda-learned Brahmin.
A Caṇḍāla speaker delivers a moral warning about conduct and livelihood, criticizing certain practices (trade in defiled Soma and moneylending at interest) as spiritually and socially destructive, regardless of one’s learning or status.