Shloka 4
Strī-dharma: Śiva’s Inquiry, Umā’s Consultation, and Gaṅgā’s Instruction
तस्मात् परस्य वै दारांस्त्यजेद् वन्ध्यां च योषितम् । ब्रह्मस्वं हि न हर्तव्यमात्मनो हितमिच्छता
tasmāt parasya vai dārāṁs tyajed vandhyāṁ ca yoṣitam | brahmasvaṁ hi na hartavyam ātmano hitam icchatā ||
Ainsi, celui qui recherche son propre bien doit renoncer à l’épouse d’autrui et se défaire aussi de toute fréquentation d’une femme stérile ; et jamais il ne doit s’emparer des biens d’un brāhmaṇa, car prendre ce qui appartient à un brāhmaṇa est interdit à qui veut son véritable bien.
लोगश उवाच
Educational Q&A
Personal welfare (hita) is achieved by adhering to dharma: avoid illicit relations with another man’s wife, avoid improper/inauspicious marital association as stated here (vandhyā), and never appropriate a Brāhmaṇa’s property (brahmasva), which is treated as especially protected.
Within Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction-oriented discourse, the speaker delivers a prescriptive rule of conduct, linking moral restraint and respect for protected property to one’s own long-term good.