Shloka 76
Ahiṃsā as Threefold Restraint (Mind–Speech–Action) and the Ethics of Consumption
भ्रातुर्भार्या तु पापात्मा यो धर्षयति मोहित: । पुंस्कोकिलत्वमाप्नोति सोडपि संवत्सरं नूप ७६ ।। नरेश्वरर जो पापात्मा मोहवश भाईकी स्त्रीके साथ बलात्कार करता है, वह एक वर्षतक कोयलकी योनिमें पड़ा रहता है
bhrātur bhāryā tu pāpātmā yo dharṣayati mohitaḥ | puṁskokilatvam āpnoti so 'pi saṁvatsaraṁ nṛpa || 76 ||
Yudhiṣṭhira sprach: „O König, der sündige Mann, der von Begierde verblendet die Frau seines Bruders schändet, zieht eine schwere Folge auf sich: Er wird als männlicher Kuckuck wiedergeboren und bleibt ein volles Jahr in diesem Zustand.“
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores that violating a close kinship boundary—specifically, sexually violating one’s brother’s wife—is a severe adharma. It frames such an act as arising from delusion (moha) and warns of painful karmic consequences, reinforcing restraint, respect for family bonds, and protection of women’s dignity.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s dharma-instruction context, Yudhiṣṭhira speaks to a king (nṛpa), stating a specific karmic result for a particular transgression: a man who violates his brother’s wife is said to attain the state of a male cuckoo for one year.