Shloka 38
Rudra-Śiva: Names, Two Natures, and the Logic of Epithets (रुद्रनाम-बहुरूपत्व-प्रकरणम्)
शूद्रान्नवर्जनं धर्मस्तथा सत्पथसेवनम् । धर्मो नित्योपवासित्वं॑ ब्रह्मचर्य तथैव च
śūdrānna-varjanaṁ dharmas tathā satpatha-sevanam | dharmo nityopavāsitvaṁ brahmacarya tathaiva ca ||
Śrī Maheśvara bersabda: “Bagi seorang brāhmaṇa, menjadi kewajipan untuk menahan diri daripada menerima makanan daripada seorang śūdra. Demikian juga, berpegang pada jalan yang baik—bergaul dengan orang saleh dan mengamalkan perilaku benar—itulah dharma. Begitu pula disiplin berpuasa secara tetap dan memelihara brahmacarya, semuanya adalah dharma.”
श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is presented as disciplined conduct: maintaining prescribed boundaries in accepting food, actively following the righteous path (satpatha), and cultivating self-restraint through regular fasting and brahmacarya.
Maheśvara is instructing about dharma by listing concrete observances—social-ritual restraint regarding food and personal austerities—framing them as supports for ethical life and spiritual steadiness.