Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 14
ब्रह्मस्वहरण-निषेधः — Prohibition of Appropriating Brahmin Property
Brahmasva
सोम॑ तु रजसा ध्वस्तं विक्रीणन् विधिपूर्वकम् | श्रोत्रियो वार्धुषी भूत्वा न चिरं स विनश्यति
somaṃ tu rajasā dhvastaṃ vikrīṇan vidhipūrvakam | śrotriyo vārddhuṣī bhūtvā na ciraṃ sa vinaśyati ||
Wika ng Caṇḍāla: “Kahit ang isang Brahmin na bihasa sa Veda, kung ipagbili niya ang Soma na nadungisan ng alikabok—alikabok mula sa mga paa ng baka—at ng gatas, kahit pa gawin ayon sa wastong ritwal; o kung mamuhay siya sa pagpapautang na may tubo, hindi siya magtatagal: mabilis siyang mapapahamak.”
चाण्डाल उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ritual correctness alone cannot justify an unethical livelihood: selling impure sacrificial Soma or adopting usury is portrayed as adharma that leads to swift downfall, even for a Veda-learned Brahmin.
A Caṇḍāla speaker delivers a moral warning about conduct and livelihood, criticizing certain practices (trade in defiled Soma and moneylending at interest) as spiritually and socially destructive, regardless of one’s learning or status.