Adhyaya 35 — Madālasa’s Instruction on Purity, Impurity, and Corrective Rites (Śauca and Aśauca)
अवलोक्य तथोदक्यां अन्त्यजं पतितं शवम् । विधर्मि-सूतिका-षण्ढ-विवस्त्रान्त्यावसायिनः ॥
avalokya tathodakyām antyajaṃ patitaṃ śavam / vidharmi-sūtikā-ṣaṇḍha-vivastrāntyāvasāyinaḥ
De même, en voyant dans l’eau—un hors-caste, un déchu ou un cadavre—et en rencontrant un hérétique, une femme en impureté d’enfantement, un impuissant, un homme nu, un hors-caste ou quelqu’un voué à des métiers avilissants—(on est souillé et l’on doit observer la purification).
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The text maps purity rules onto social and ritual categories prevalent in classical dharma literature, especially regarding death and birth impurity. Practically, it aims at maintaining ritual boundaries; ethically, it reflects a historical social taxonomy rather than a universal moral valuation.
Ancillary dharma/ācāra material.
Water is the medium of ritual purification; contamination ‘in water’ symbolizes disturbance in the very instrument of cleansing—suggesting that discernment (viveka) must precede purification practices.