Shloka 5
Gaṅgā-māhātmya: Siddha–Śilavṛtti-saṃvāda and Gaṅgā-stava (गङ्गामाहात्म्यं—सिद्ध-शिलवृत्ति-संवादः)
ब्राह्मणं स्वयमाहूय भिक्षार्थे कृशवृत्तिनम् । ब्रूयान्नास्तीति यः पश्चात्तं विद्याद् ब्रह्मघातिनम्
brāhmaṇaṁ svayam āhūya bhikṣārthe kṛśavṛttinam | brūyān nāstīti yaḥ paścāt taṁ vidyād brahmaghātinam ||
Wika ni Bhishma: “Ang sinumang personal na tumawag sa isang Brahmin na kapos na ang kabuhayan upang bigyan ng limos, ngunit pagkaraan ay magsasabing, ‘Walang maibibigay,’ alamin na ang taong iyon ay parang pumatay ng Brahmin—may sala ng brahma-hatyā.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
To invite a needy Brahmin with the promise of alms and then deny him is treated as an extreme moral offense—equated with brahma-hatyā—because it combines deception, humiliation of the vulnerable, and violation of the duty of giving.
Bhishma, instructing on dharma, states a rule of conduct: if a person personally calls a Brahmin whose livelihood is diminished for the purpose of giving alms but later says ‘I have nothing,’ that person should be regarded as grievously sinful, like a Brahmin-slayer.