Shloka 120
Puṣkara-Śapatha Itihāsa (Agastya–Indra Dispute at the Tīrthas) | पुष्कर-शपथ-आख्यानम्
जगदग्निरुवाच पुरीषमुत्सृजत्वप्सु हन्तु गां चैव द्रह्मतु । अनृतौ मैथुन यातु बिसस्तैन्यं करोति यः:
jagadaagnir uvāca: purīṣam utsṛjatv apsu hantu gāṃ caiva drohatu | anṛtau maithunaṃ yātu bisastainyaṃ karoti yaḥ ||
قال جاغاداغني: «مَن سرقَ سيقانَ اللوتس (بيسا) لَحِقَتهُ خطيئةُ التبرّزِ في الماء، وخطيئةُ قتلِ البقرة، وخطيئةُ خيانةِ البقرة (أو إيذائها)، وخطيئةُ معاشرةِ المرأةِ خارجَ موسمِها اللائق. وهكذا يُعلَن ثِقَلُ هذا الفعلِ أخلاقيًّا إعلانًا جليًّا.»
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that even seemingly minor theft (here, lotus-stalks) is ethically serious and is equated with major transgressions—polluting water, harming or betraying a cow, and improper sexual conduct—thereby warning that adharma in small acts carries heavy moral consequences.
In a didactic context on dharma and wrongdoing, the speaker (attributed here to Jagadagni) pronounces a set of sins that attach to a person who steals lotus-stalks, using strong comparisons to impress the gravity of the act.