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III, 8.
THE DUTY OF STUDYING THE VEDA.
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Veda (can)not be called) a Brâhmana, nor he who lives by trade, nor he who lives as) an actor, nor he who obeys a Sudra's commands, nor (he who like) a thief (takes the property of others), nor he who makes his living by the practice of medicine.'
4. “The king shall punish that village where Brâhmanas, unobservant of their sacred duties and ignorant of the Veda, subsist by begging; for it feeds robbers.'
5. 'Many thousands (of Brâhmanas) cannot form a (legal) assembly (for declaring the sacred law), if they have not fulfilled their sacred duties, are unacquainted with the Veda, and subsist only by the name of their caste.'
6. “That sin which dunces, perplexed by ignorance and unacquainted with the sacred law, declare (to be duty) shall fall, increased a hundredfold, on those who propound it.
7. What four or (even) three (Brâhmanas) who have completely studied the Vedas proclaim, that must be distinctly recognised as the sacred law, not (the decision) of a thousand fools.'
8. Offerings to the gods and to the manes must always be given to a Srotriya alone. For gifts
Anrik, 'who does not know the Veda,' means, literally, 'unacquainted with the Rig-veda.'
5. This verse, which is identical with Manu XII, 114, and the next two are intended to show that a Brâhmana who neglects the study of the Veda, is unfit to decide points of the sacred law, which are not settled either by the Smriti or the Sruti, and become a member of a parishad or Pank.
6. The verse contains a better version of Manu XII, 115.
7. Regarding the term Vedapâraga, see Gautama V, 20, note. Itareshâm, 'fools,' means literally, different from those who have mastered the Vedas).'
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| SR No. | 007674 |
| Book Title | Dhammapada |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Max Muller |
| Publisher | Oxford |
| Publication Year | 1881 |
| Total Pages | 2540 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Book_English |
| File Size | 45 MB |