Shloka 34
Umā–Maheśvara-saṃvāda: Varṇa-bhraṃśa, Ācāra (Vṛtta), and Karmic Ascent/Decline
श्रद्दधानेन मर्त्येन आत्मनो हितमिच्छता । एते दोषा मया प्रोक्तास्त्रिषु यः पादमुत्सूजेत्
śraddadhānena martyena ātmano hitam icchatā | ete doṣā mayā proktās triṣu yaḥ pādam utsṛjet ||
Dharma dit : «Un mortel plein de foi, qui recherche son véritable bien, ne doit jamais poser le pied sur trois choses sacrées : les vaches, un brāhmaṇa rayonnant et un feu flamboyant. J’ai déjà décrit les fautes et les conséquences qui s’abattent sur celui qui lève le pied contre ces trois-là.»
धर्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A person seeking true welfare should practice reverence in bodily conduct: never insult or violate what is held sacred—cows, brāhmaṇas, and the sacrificial/fire principle (agni). The verse frames this as a concrete ethical restraint, warning that stepping upon them incurs serious moral fault (doṣa).
Dharma is instructing the listener in rules of righteous behavior (ācāra). In this section he summarizes previously stated consequences (doṣāḥ) and reiterates a practical prohibition: do not raise the foot against three revered entities—cows, a venerable brāhmaṇa, and blazing fire.