Gaṅgā-māhātmya: Siddha–Śilavṛtti-saṃvāda and Gaṅgā-stava (गङ्गामाहात्म्यं—सिद्ध-शिलवृत्ति-संवादः)
मध्यस्थस्येह विप्रस्थ योडनूचानस्थ भारत । वृत्तिं हरति दुर्बुद्धिस्तं विद्याद् ब्रह्मघातिनम्
madhyasthasyeha viprastha yo 'nūcānastha bhārata | vṛttiṁ harati durbuddhis taṁ vidyād brahmaghātinam ||
Wika ni Bhishma: “O inapo ni Bharata, alamin na ang taong masama ang isip na sa mundong ito’y umaagaw sa ikinabubuhay ng isang Brahmin na marunong at nananatiling walang kinikilingan, ay hindi naiiba sa pumatay ng Brahmin.”
भीष्म उवाच
Depriving an impartial, learned Brahmin of his rightful livelihood is condemned as a sin equivalent in gravity to brahmahatyā; economic harm to the righteous is treated as a severe ethical transgression.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma, he warns the listener (addressed as ‘Bharata’) that a wicked person who seizes the subsistence of a neutral, learned Brahmin should be regarded as a brahmaghātin, emphasizing the seriousness of such wrongdoing.