Shloka 29
Umā–Maheśvara-saṃvāda: Varṇa-bhraṃśa, Ācāra (Vṛtta), and Karmic Ascent/Decline
अग्निरुवाच पादमुद्यम्य यो मर्त्य: स्पृशेद् गाश्न सुदुर्मति: । ब्राह्मणं वा महाभागं दीप्यमानं तथानलम्
agnir uvāca pādam udyamya yo martyaḥ spṛśed gāśna sudurmatīḥ | brāhmaṇaṃ vā mahābhāgaṃ dīpyamānaṃ tathānalam ||
अग्निरुवाच— पादमुद्यम्य यो मर्त्यः स्पृशेद् गां सुदुर्मतिः । ब्राह्मणं वा महाभागं दीप्यमानं तथानलम् ॥
धर्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse condemns violence and contempt toward two pillars of dharmic society: the cow (symbol of sustenance and sacrifice) and the brāhmaṇa (symbol of learning, ritual, and spiritual authority). To strike them is portrayed as a grave moral failure rooted in a corrupted mind.
Agni is speaking in a didactic context within the Anuśāsana Parva, warning about the severe wrongdoing involved in raising one’s foot to strike a cow, or in attacking an illustrious brāhmaṇa whose spiritual brilliance is likened to fire.