Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 62
Vānaprastha-dharma and Tapas: Śiva–Umā Saṃvāda
Forest-Stage Discipline and Austerity
बृहस्पतिजीने कहा--शचीपते! जो सूर्यकी ओर मुँह करके मूत्र त्याग करते हैं, वायुदेवसे द्वेष रखते हैं अर्थात् वायुके सम्मुख मूत्र त्याग करते हैं, जो प्रज्वलित अम्निमें समिधाकी आहुति नहीं देते तथा जो दूधके लोभसे बहुत छोटे बछड़ेवाली धेनुको भी दुह लेते हैं, उन सबके दोषोंका वर्णन करता हूँ। ध्यानपूर्वक सुनो ।।
śakra uvāca | bhānumān anilaś caiva havyavāhaś ca vāsava | lokānāṃ mātaraś caiva gāvaḥ sṛṣṭāḥ svayambhuvā ||
Śakra (Indra) said: “O Vāsava! Those who relieve themselves facing the Sun, those who bear enmity toward the Wind—thus relieving themselves against it—those who, when the sacrificial fire blazes, do not offer the samidh fuel-stick, and those who, from greed for milk, milk even a cow whose calf is very young: I shall describe the faults of them all. Listen with care. The Sun, the Wind, Agni the bearer of oblations, and the cows who are the mothers of the worlds—these were created by the Self-born, Brahmā.”
शक्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
That foundational supports of life and dharma—Sun, Wind, Fire, and the cow as a life-giving mother—are divinely instituted and therefore must be treated with reverence; everyday behavior and ritual practice become ethical tests of respect versus negligence or exploitation.
Indra (Śakra) speaks, identifying Sun, Wind, Fire, and cows as creations of Brahmā, as a preface to describing certain acts as faults—acts that symbolically insult these cosmic and social supports (improper bodily conduct toward Sun/Wind, neglect of fire-offerings, and greedy milking that harms a cow with a very young calf).