Shloka 28
अश्वमेधावसानम् — Dakṣiṇā-vibhāga and Avabhṛtha
Completion of the Aśvamedha
धर्मवैतंसिको यस्तु पापात्मा पुरुषाधम: । ददाति दान विप्रेभ्यो लोकविश्वासकारणम्,जो धर्मध्वजी, पापात्मा एवं नराधम है, वह लोकमें अपना विश्वास जमानेके लिये ब्राह्मणोंको दान देता है, धर्मके लिये नहीं
dharmavaitāṁsiko yas tu pāpātmā puruṣādhamaḥ | dadāti dāna viprebhyo lokaviśvāsakāraṇam ||
Disse Vaiśampāyana: “Esse homem —mero fingidor do dharma, pecaminoso no íntimo e o mais vil entre os homens— oferece dádivas aos brâmanes apenas para conquistar a confiança do mundo, não por sincero compromisso com a retidão.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse distinguishes outward religious acts from inner righteousness: charity (dāna) done to gain reputation or public trust is ethically tainted when the giver is hypocritical and lacks genuine dharma.
Vaiśampāyana characterizes a certain type of person—a dharma-pretender—explaining that such a man gives gifts to Brahmins not as true piety but as a strategy to secure social credibility.