Shloka 8
Adhyāya 166: Kṛtaghna-doṣa (कृतघ्नदोषः) — the fault of ingratitude and the limits of expiation
आहरेदथ नो किज्चित् कामं॑ शूद्रस्य वेश्मन: । न हि यज्ञेषु शूद्रस्य किज्चिदस्ति परिग्रह:,किंतु राजा अपनी इच्छाके अनुसार शूद्रके घरसे थोड़ा-सा भी धन न ले आवे; क्योंकि यज्ञोंमें शूद्रका किंचिन्मात्र भी अधिकार नहीं है
āhared atha no kiñcit kāmaṁ śūdrasya veśmanaḥ | na hi yajñeṣu śūdrasya kiñcid asti parigrahaḥ ||
भीष्म उवाच—आहरेदथ नो किञ्चित् कामं शूद्रस्य वेश्मनः; न हि यज्ञेषु शूद्रस्य किञ्चिदस्ति परिग्रहः।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler must not exploit a Śūdra household by arbitrary taking; royal power should be restrained and protective, even while the verse reflects the text’s ritual framework that denies the Śūdra a sacrificial share (parigraha) in yajñas.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on rājadharma (duties of kings). Here he gives a specific rule about what a king should not take from a Śūdra’s home, grounding it in the traditional distribution of rights and shares connected with sacrificial rites.