Shloka 55

Ahiṃsā as Threefold Restraint (Mind–Speech–Action) and the Ethics of Consumption

Devanagari script

श्वयोनौ तु स सम्भूतस्त्रीणि वर्षाणि जीवति । तत्रापि निधन प्राप्त: कृमियोनौ प्रजायते,पहले कुत्तेकी योनिमें जन्म लेकर वह तीन वर्षतक जीवन धारण करता है। उस योनिमें मृत्युको प्राप्त होकर वह कीड़ेकी योनिमें उत्पन्न होता है। कीटयोनिमें जन्म लेकर वह एक वर्षषक जीवित रहता है। फिर मरनेके बाद उसका ब्राह्मण-योनिमें जन्म होता है

Transliteration

śvayonau tu sa sambhūtas trīṇi varṣāṇi jīvati | tatrāpi nidhanaṁ prāpya kṛmiyonau prajāyate ||

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira sprach: „In einem Hundeleib geboren, lebt er drei Jahre. Auch dort, wenn ihn der Tod ereilt, wird er im Leib eines Wurmes wiedergeboren.“

Word by Word

श्वयोनौin the dog-womb/species

तुbut/indeed

सःhe

सम्भूतःborn/arisen

त्रीणिthree

वर्षाणिyears

जीवतिlives

तत्रthere

अपिalso/even

निधनम्death

प्राप्तःhaving attained/reached

कृमियोनौin the worm-insect womb/species

प्रजायतेis born/arises

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

dog (śva)

worm (kṛmi)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores karmic consequence: unethical conduct can lead to degrading rebirths, illustrating that actions shape future embodiments and experiences.

What is happening in the narrative?

Yudhiṣṭhira describes a sequence of transmigration: after being born as a dog and living three years, the being dies and is reborn as a worm, as part of a larger account of karmic retribution and eventual change of birth.