Shloka 12
धर्मनिन्दा–धर्मोपासनाफलम् तथा साध्वाचारलक्षणम्
Fruits of Disparaging vs. Observing Dharma; Marks of Good Conduct
तत्रासौ निरयं प्राप्तो वर्णभ्रष्टो बहिष्कृत: | ब्रह्मलोकात् परिश्रष्ट: शूद्र: समुपजायते
tatrāsau nirayaṁ prāpto varṇabhraṣṭo bahiṣkṛtaḥ | brahmalokāt pariśraṣṭaḥ śūdraḥ samupajāyate ||
तत्र स निरयं प्राप्तो वर्णभ्रष्टो बहिष्कृतः। ब्रह्मलोकात् परिश्रष्टः पश्चाच्छूद्रः समुपजायते॥ स्ववर्णधर्मपरित्यागेन स जात्याचारात् पतितः, परलोकगत्यां च ब्रह्मलोकवञ्चितो नरकं याति; ततः परं शूद्रयोनौ जायते।
श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that abandoning one’s prescribed dharma and conduct leads to spiritual and social downfall: loss of higher attainments (like Brahmaloka), suffering in hell, and an inferior rebirth. It presents karma as the mechanism linking ethical deviation to future consequences.
Maheśvara describes the post-mortem fate of a person who has become varṇabhraṣṭa and socially excluded: he falls into niraya, is cut off from Brahmaloka, and is subsequently reborn as a Śūdra.