भुक्तपूर्वां स्त्रियं ये च निन्दताम् अघशंसिनाम् ॥
ब्रह्मघ्नानां च ये लोका ये च गोघातिनाम् अपि ॥
पायसं वा यवान्नं वा शाकं कृसरम् एव वा ॥
संयावापूपमांसानि ये च लोका वृथाश्नताम् ॥
तान् अह्नैवाधिगच्छेयं न चेद् धन्यां जयद्रथम् ॥
वेदाध्यायिनम् अत्यर्थं संशितं वा द्विजोत्तमम् ॥
अवमन्यमानो यान् याति वृद्धान् साधूंस् तथा गुरून् ॥
bhuktapūrvāṃ striyaṃ ye ca nindatām aghaśaṃsinām ||
brahmaghnānāṃ ca ye lokā ye ca goghātinām api ||
pāyasaṃ vā yavānnaṃ vā śākaṃ kṛsaram eva vā ||
saṃyāvāpūpamāṃsāni ye ca lokā vṛthāśnatām ||
tān ahnaivādhigaccheyaṃ na ced dhanyāṃ jayadratham ||
vedādhyāyinam atyarthaṃ saṃśitaṃ vā dvijottamam ||
avamanyamāno yān yāti vṛddhān sādhūṃs tathā gurūn ||
"...and of those who defame a former wife, of calumniators who speak evil; and [where lie] the worlds of killers of brahmins and cows; and the fates of those who eat milk porridge, barley fare, vegetables, krisara, cakes, fritters, and meat to no purpose, without the due rite; to what fate goes the one who scorns a zealous reciter of the Vedas, or an austere brahmin, elders, the righteous, and teachers..."
cf6b495579df · published Jul 19, 2026, 3:36:52 PM UTC
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The list grows from the gravest crimes to breaches of ritual and moral order: 'vṛthā aśnatām,' 'those who eat in vain,' without the proper consecration of food, and 'avamanyamānaḥ vṛddhān sādhūn gurūn,' 'one who scorns elders, the righteous, teachers.' It is telling that alongside killing is named irreverent eating and disrespect for the wise: dharma sees sin not only in bloodshed but also in forgetting the sacred order of everyday life. The verse teaches that the measure of righteousness lies in the whole fabric of life — in how one eats and in how one honors one's elders, for piety dwells not only in the great but also in the small.