Shloka 58
Adhyāya 166: Kṛtaghna-doṣa (कृतघ्नदोषः) — the fault of ingratitude and the limits of expiation
श्वृवराहखरान् हत्वा शौद्रमेव व्रतं चरेत् मार्जारचाषमण्डूकान् काकं व्यालं च मूषिकम्
śvṛvarāhakhārān hatvā śūdram eva vrataṃ caret mārjāracāṣamaṇḍūkān kākaṃ vyālaṃ ca mūṣikam
భీష్ముడు పలికెను—పంది, వరాహం, గాడిదలను చంపినవాడు శూద్రవ్రతాన్నే ఆచరించాలి. అలాగే పిల్లి, చాష పక్షి, కప్ప, కాకి, సర్పం, ఎలుకలను చంపినవాడూ (అదే విధమైన) ప్రాయశ్చిత్తం చేయాలి.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse is a prescriptive rule framed as part of Bhīṣma’s dharma-instruction: it links specific acts (here, the killing of certain animals) with undertaking a particular observance (vrata) associated with the Śūdra. In context, such lines function as normative or expiatory injunctions within varṇa- and conduct-discussions, emphasizing regulated behavior and the idea that actions entail prescribed disciplines.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma after the war. This verse occurs within a didactic sequence of rules and observances, where Bhīṣma enumerates specific prescriptions—here listing animals and stating that after killing them one should undertake a stated vrata—reflecting the text’s broader concern with codifying conduct and consequences.