Shloka 16
अध्याय १३२ — कर्मणा मनसा वाचा: स्वर्गमार्गः तथा आयुर्विपाकः
Adhyāya 132 — The path to heaven through deed, mind, and speech; karmic results for lifespan
भिन्नभाण्डे कलिं प्राहुः: खट्वायां तु धनक्षय: । कुक्कुटे शुनके चैव हविर्नाश्रन्ति देवता: । वृक्षमूले ध्रुवं सत्त्वं तस्माद् वृक्ष न रोपयेत्
bhinnabhāṇḍe kaliṃ prāhuḥ khaṭvāyāṃ tu dhanakṣayaḥ | kukkuṭe śunake caiva havir nāśnanti devatāḥ | vṛkṣamūle dhruvaṃ sattvaṃ tasmād vṛkṣaṃ na ropayet ||
Dhaumya dit : « On dit qu’un récipient brisé devient le siège de Kali (discorde et déclin). Vivre avec un lit brisé entraîne la perte des richesses. Si un coq et un chien demeurent dans la maison, les dieux n’y reçoivent pas l’oblation (havis). Et là où des racines d’arbre se trouvent dans l’habitation, des créatures s’y tiennent à coup sûr (serpents, scorpions) ; c’est pourquoi il ne faut pas planter d’arbre à l’intérieur de la maison. »
धौग्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches household dharma through signs of inauspiciousness: maintain sound, orderly domestic conditions (avoid broken utensils and furniture), preserve ritual cleanliness so offerings are fit for divine acceptance, and avoid practices that invite danger or impurity (like planting large trees within the dwelling where harmful creatures may shelter).
In Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction-focused setting, Dhaumya delivers practical counsel on domestic and ritual propriety, listing specific conditions believed to bring decline, loss, or ritual inacceptability, and concluding with a preventive rule about not planting trees inside the house.