Shloka 43
Umā–Maheśvara-saṃvāda: Varṇa-bhraṃśa, Ācāra (Vṛtta), and Karmic Ascent/Decline
न तेषामशुभं किंचित् कल्मषं चोपपद्यते । जो मनुष्य बौने ब्राह्मण और पानीसे निकले हुए वराहको देखकर नमस्कार करता और उनकी उठायी मृत्तिकाको मस्तकसे लगाता है
na teṣām aśubhaṃ kiñcit kalmaṣaṃ copapadyate | yo manuṣyo vāmano brāhmaṇaṃ ca pānīyāt samutthitaṃ varāhaṃ ca dṛṣṭvā namaskaroti, teṣām uddhṛtāṃ mṛttikāṃ ca mastakena spṛśati, tasya kadācana nāśubhaṃ na pāpaṃ prāpnoti | (bhīṣma uvāca)
قال بيشما: إن من كان على هذه الحال فلا ينشأ له شؤمٌ ولا تلحقه دَنَسَةُ إثم. فمن رأى براهمنًا قصير القامة وخنزيرًا بريًّا قد خرج من الماء فحيّاه بالتعظيم، ثم مسح برأسه التراب الذي رفعاه—فإنه لا يناله قط سوءٌ ولا خطيئة. هكذا نطق فاسيشثا، العارف ببراهما، بتعليمه لهم.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Reverence expressed through humble bodily acts—salutation and touching sacred earth to the head—functions as a purifier: it prevents the arising of inauspiciousness and the stain of sin. The verse emphasizes the ethical power of श्रद्धा (faith) and नमस्कार (respect) toward sanctified persons/symbols.
Bhishma continues his instruction on dharma, stating a specific observance: when one sees a dwarf Brahmin and a boar that has emerged from water, one should bow to them and touch to one’s head the earth they have lifted. He then declares the spiritual result—freedom from inauspiciousness and sin.