Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 11
धर्मनिन्दा–धर्मोपासनाफलम् तथा साध्वाचारलक्षणम्
Fruits of Disparaging vs. Observing Dharma; Marks of Good Conduct
स द्विजो वैश्यतामेति वैश्यो वा शूद्रतामियात् । स्वधर्मात् प्रच्युतो विप्रस्तत: शूद्रत्वमाप्तुते
sa dvijo vaiśyatām eti vaiśyo vā śūdratām iyāt | svadharmāt pracyuto vipras tataḥ śūdratvam āpnute ||
摩诃提婆说道：凡“二次生者”（dvija）若舍弃自身所当行之本分（svadharma），转而从事吠舍（vaiśya）之业，便堕为吠舍之境。又若吠舍效法首陀罗（śūdra）之行与业，亦堕为首陀罗之身分。同理，婆罗门（brāhmaṇa）若因行首陀罗之事而失其本有之法，则终至获得首陀罗之地位。其伦理旨趣在于：内在的自律与社会责任本应相应；若为贪欲、迷妄或怠惰所驱而背离本分，即被视为道德与灵性之衰落，其果报甚至延及来世之再生。
श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that abandoning one’s svadharma and adopting duties considered improper to one’s station is a form of ethical and spiritual fall, described here as leading to a lower social/spiritual status and even a corresponding rebirth.
Śrīmahēśvara (Mahādeva) is instructing about the consequences of deviating from prescribed duties (varṇa-based svadharma), using the examples of a dvija/brāhmaṇa taking up vaiśya or śūdra-type work and a vaiśya taking up śūdra-type work.