Shloka 29
Umā–Maheśvara-saṃvāda: Varṇa-bhraṃśa, Ācāra (Vṛtta), and Karmic Ascent/Decline
अग्निरुवाच पादमुद्यम्य यो मर्त्य: स्पृशेद् गाश्न सुदुर्मति: । ब्राह्मणं वा महाभागं दीप्यमानं तथानलम्
agnir uvāca pādam udyamya yo martyaḥ spṛśed gāśna sudurmatīḥ | brāhmaṇaṃ vā mahābhāgaṃ dīpyamānaṃ tathānalam ||
Agni dit : «Le mortel à l’esprit mauvais qui, levant le pied, frapperait une vache—ou qui, de même, s’en prendrait à un brāhmaṇa grandement favorisé, flamboyant d’une radiance spirituelle telle le feu—commet un outrage des plus graves. De tels actes violent les fondements mêmes du dharma, car ils sont violence contre ceux qui soutiennent et sanctifient le monde.»
धर्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse condemns violence and contempt toward two pillars of dharmic society: the cow (symbol of sustenance and sacrifice) and the brāhmaṇa (symbol of learning, ritual, and spiritual authority). To strike them is portrayed as a grave moral failure rooted in a corrupted mind.
Agni is speaking in a didactic context within the Anuśāsana Parva, warning about the severe wrongdoing involved in raising one’s foot to strike a cow, or in attacking an illustrious brāhmaṇa whose spiritual brilliance is likened to fire.