Shloka 12
अध्याय २८१ — दानधर्मः, न्यायागतधनम्, ऋणत्रय-परिशोधनं च
Dāna ethics, lawful wealth, and settling obligations
ब्रह्मवध्या महाघोरा रौद्रा लोकभयावहा । करालदशना भीमा विकृता कृष्णपिड्ूला
brahmavadhyā mahāghorā raudrā lokabhayāvahā | karāladāśanā bhīmā vikṛtā kṛṣṇapiṇḍūlā ||
Wika ni Bhīṣma: “Ang kasalanan ng pagpatay sa isang Brahmana (Brahmahatyā) ay sukdulang kakila-kilabot—marahas, nakapanghihilakbot, at nagdudulot ng takot sa buong daigdig. Nagpapakita ito bilang isang halimaw na mabigat ang presensya, kakila-kilabot ang anyo, nakanganga ang mga ngiping nakapangingilabot, at baluktot ang katawan—maitim at namamaga—isang larawan ng babala kung gaano kabigat ang paglapastangan sa dharma kapag sinaktan ang banal.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the extreme gravity of brahma-vadha (Brahmin-slaying) in dharma discourse, portraying it as a terrifying force to emphasize that harming the sacred and learned order is a profound ethical rupture with far-reaching consequences.
Bhīṣma, in his instruction during the Śānti Parva, describes the guilt of Brahmin-slaying in vivid, personified imagery—monstrous, fear-inducing, and deformed—so the listener grasps the moral horror and the need for restraint and expiation.