Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 23
ब्रह्मस्वहरण-निषेधः — Prohibition of Appropriating Brahmin Property
Brahmasva
अहं हि पापयोन्यां वै प्रसूत: क्षत्रियर्षभ । निश्चयं नाधिगच्छामि कथं मुच्येयमित्युत,क्षत्रियशिरोमणे! मैं पापयोनिमें उत्पन्न हुआ हूँ। मुझे यह निश्चय नहीं हो पाता कि मैं किस उपायसे मुक्त हो सकूँगा?
ahaṃ hi pāpayonyāṃ vai prasūtaḥ kṣatriyarṣabha | niścayaṃ nādhigacchāmi kathaṃ mucyeyam ity uta ||
Wika ng Caṇḍāla: “O toro sa hanay ng mga Kṣatriya, tunay na ako’y isinilang mula sa sinapupunang may kasalanan. Hindi ako makarating sa tiyak na pasya—sa anong paraan ako makalalaya (sa kalagayang ito at sa bigat nitong pananagutan)?”
चाण्डाल उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds moral agency and the longing for release: even one who considers himself burdened by a stigmatized or ‘sinful’ birth seeks a clear path to purification and freedom, implying that ethical transformation is a meaningful concern regardless of social origin.
A Caṇḍāla addresses a distinguished Kṣatriya, confessing his low and blameworthy birth and expressing confusion about the means of attaining release—setting up a dialogue about expiation, dharma, and the possibility of uplift or liberation.