Shloka 38
Viṣṇu-sahasranāma—Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Recitation (विष्णोर्नामसहस्रम्)
ब्रह्महा चैव गोघ्नक्ष परदाररतश्न यः । अश्रद्दधानश्न नर: स्त्रियं यश्चोपजीवति
brahmahā caiva goghnaś ca paradārarataś ca yaḥ | aśraddadhānaś ca naraḥ striyaṃ yaś copajīvati ||
यम उवाच—ब्रह्महा च गोघ्नश्च परदाररतश्च यः। अश्रद्दधानो नरः स्त्रियं यश्चोपजीवति—एते पञ्च दुराचाराः प्रोक्ताः।
यम उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse classifies five forms of grave moral failure—brahma-hatyā, go-hatyā, adultery, faithlessness toward dharma, and living by improper dependence—presenting them as paradigmatic ‘durācāra’ (depraved conduct) to be avoided.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s didactic setting, Yama is speaking as a moral authority, enumerating and defining categories of serious wrongdoing as part of a broader instruction on righteous conduct and its opposites.