Shloka 26
Śāṇḍilī–Sumanā-saṃvāda: Sat-strī-samudācāra and Pati-dharma
Conduct of the Virtuous Wife
द्रव्याण्याददते चैव दुःखं यान्ति पतन्ति च । ततोअचन्यत् कर्म यक्किंचिन्न पुण्यं न च पातकम्
dravyāṇy ādadate caiva duḥkhaṃ yānti patanti ca | tato 'nyat karma yat kiṃcin na puṇyaṃ na ca pātakam ||
Vyāsa sprach: Wer das Eigentum anderer an sich nimmt, begegnet unweigerlich Leid und stürzt in die Hölle. Abgesehen von solchen Taten des Verdienstes und der Schuld gilt jede andere gewöhnliche Tätigkeit—bloße routinemäßige Anstrengung—als weder Tugend noch Sünde.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Appropriating another’s wealth is explicitly condemned: it leads to suffering and a fall into hell. The verse also distinguishes morally charged actions (puṇya/pātaka) from morally neutral, everyday activities that do not accrue merit or sin.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction-focused discourse, Vyāsa states a moral rule about theft and its consequences, then clarifies that not every action is ethically weighty—some ordinary actions are neutral, neither virtuous nor sinful.