Shloka 28
अश्वमेधावसानम् — Dakṣiṇā-vibhāga and Avabhṛtha
Completion of the Aśvamedha
धर्मवैतंसिको यस्तु पापात्मा पुरुषाधम: । ददाति दान विप्रेभ्यो लोकविश्वासकारणम्,जो धर्मध्वजी, पापात्मा एवं नराधम है, वह लोकमें अपना विश्वास जमानेके लिये ब्राह्मणोंको दान देता है, धर्मके लिये नहीं
dharmavaitāṁsiko yas tu pāpātmā puruṣādhamaḥ | dadāti dāna viprebhyo lokaviśvāsakāraṇam ||
Sinabi ni Vaiśampāyana: “Ang taong iyon—nagkukunwaring tagapagdala ng dharma, makasalanan ang loob at pinakababa sa mga tao—nagbibigay ng handog sa mga Brahmin upang makamit ang tiwala ng daigdig, hindi dahil sa tunay na pagtalima sa katuwiran.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse distinguishes outward religious acts from inner righteousness: charity (dāna) done to gain reputation or public trust is ethically tainted when the giver is hypocritical and lacks genuine dharma.
Vaiśampāyana characterizes a certain type of person—a dharma-pretender—explaining that such a man gives gifts to Brahmins not as true piety but as a strategy to secure social credibility.