Shloka 54
Ahiṃsā as Threefold Restraint (Mind–Speech–Action) and the Ethics of Consumption
मनसापि गुरोर्भार्या यः शिष्यो याति पापकृत् । स उग्रान् प्रैति संसारानधर्मेणेह चेतसा
manasāpi guror bhāryāṁ yaḥ śiṣyo yāti pāpakṛt | sa ugrān praiti saṁsārān adharmeṇeha cetasā ||
Yudhiṣṭhira sprach: „Selbst wenn nur im Geist: Der Schüler, der sich der Frau seines Lehrers zuwendet, begeht Sünde. Durch diese unrechte Absicht schon hier gerät er in schreckliche Kreisläufe der Wiedergeburt und wird in furchterregenden Leibern und Zuständen geboren.“
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that ethical transgression begins at the level of intention: even mentally entertaining desire toward one’s teacher’s wife violates dharma and generates grave karmic consequences.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on conduct and dharma, Yudhiṣṭhira states a strict rule of guru-śiṣya propriety: a disciple who even contemplates intimacy with the guru’s wife is deemed sinful and destined for harsh rebirths.