Shloka 37
Varṇa-adhikāra, Karma, and the Protection of One’s Attained Spiritual Status (वर्णाधिकारः कर्म च स्वस्थानरक्षणम्)
व्याधितं दुर्बलं बालं स्त्र्यनाथौ कृपणं ध्रुवम् । धनुर्भग्नं छिन्नगुणं हत्वा वै ब्रह्महा भवेत्
vyādhitaṃ durbalaṃ bālaṃ stryanāthau kṛpaṇaṃ dhruvam | dhanurbhagnaṃ chinnaguṇaṃ hatvā vai brahmahā bhavet
Ai giết người bệnh tật, yếu đuối, trẻ thơ, hay kẻ khốn cùng—thật vậy, người không nơi nương tựa (như phụ nữ không chỗ dựa hoặc trẻ mồ côi)—hoặc kẻ có cung gãy, dây cung bị cắt, thì quả thật trở thành brahma-han, ‘kẻ sát hại Bà-la-môn’, mắc tội nặng nhất.
Narratorial/śāstric voice (didactic statement within the Purāṇic discourse; specific speaker not identifiable from the single verse alone)
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Significance: Ethical restraint (ahiṃsā toward the helpless) is framed as a prerequisite for purity; without it, even ritual merit is obstructed by mahāpātaka-like demerit.
FAQs
In Purāṇic and Dharmaśāstra moral reasoning, brahmahatyā functions as a paradigmatic ‘mahāpātaka’ (great sin). By invoking brahmahā here, the text stresses the extreme spiritual gravity of harming those who are vulnerable or incapable of defense, framing such violence as a profound violation of dharma and compassion rather than merely a social offense.