History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v4.c63.t2.921

v4.c63.t2.921

37\. ‘Constant journeys by brāhmaṇas’ (l. 30). The Mahābhārata (Śānti 23. 15)¹⁸⁵⁸ says, ‘As a snake swallows mice hiding in holes, the earth swallows two persons viz. a king who does not fight (an invader) and a brāhmaṇa who does not engage in travel' (for acquiring learning from famous teachers). This text only forbids taking aimlessly to long journeys but not those for study or for religious purposes.