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 disse: “Um mortal, fiel e desejoso do seu verdadeiro bem, jamais deve pôr o pé sobre três coisas sagradas—vacas, um brāhmaṇa resplandecente e um fogo em chamas. Já descrevi as faltas e as consequências que recaem sobre quem ergue o pé contra esses três.”
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.