Shloka 13
धर्मनिन्दा–धर्मोपासनाफलम् तथा साध्वाचारलक्षणम्
Fruits of Disparaging vs. Observing Dharma; Marks of Good Conduct
क्षत्रियो वा महाभागे वैश्यो वा धर्मचारिणि । स्वानि कर्माण्यपाहाय शूद्रकर्म निषेवते
kṣatriyo vā mahābhāge vaiśyo vā dharmacāriṇi | svāni karmāṇy apāhāya śūdrakarma niṣevate ||
Maheshvara disse: “Ó nobre senhora, ó seguidora do dharma—seja ele um Kshatriya ou um Vaishya, se abandonar os seus deveres prescritos e se dedicar ao trabalho próprio de um Shudra, cai do seu lugar, torna-se causa de mistura de varṇas (varṇa-saṅkara) e, numa vida posterior, nasce num ventre de Shudra. Quem quer que seja—Brahmin, Kshatriya ou Vaishya—por tal conduta chega à condição e disposição de um Shudra.”
श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes svadharma: one should not abandon one’s prescribed responsibilities and adopt another varṇa’s occupational role out of disregard for dharma; such deviation is presented as ethically and socially destabilizing and as carrying karmic consequences, including a lower rebirth.
Maheshvara (Śiva) is instructing a noble woman addressed as “mahābhāge” and “dharmacāriṇi,” explaining the consequences, within a varṇa-dharma framework, of a Kshatriya or Vaishya giving up their own duties to perform Shudra-type work.