Shloka 122
Puṣkara-Śapatha Itihāsa (Agastya–Indra Dispute at the Tīrthas) | पुष्कर-शपथ-आख्यानम्
गौतम उवाच अधीत्य वेदांस्त्यजतु त्रीनग्नीनपविध्यतु । विक्रीणातु तथा सोम॑ बिसस्तैन्यं करोति यः
gautama uvāca | adhītya vedāṁs tyajatu trīn agnīn apavidhyatu | vikrīṇātu tathā somaṁ bisastainyaṁ karoti yaḥ |
Gautama sprach: «Wer die Stängel und Fasern des Lotos (mṛṇāla/bisa) stiehlt, soll gelten, als habe er die Veden studiert, nur um sie dann zu verwerfen; als werfe er die drei heiligen Feuer fort; und als verkaufe er Soma. Selbst ein scheinbar geringes Diebeswerk wird als schwerer Bruch des Dharma gewertet, vergleichbar der Absage an heilige Lehre und rituelle Pflicht.»
गौतम उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that theft—even of something seemingly minor like lotus-stalks—is a serious violation of dharma, morally comparable to repudiating Vedic learning, abandoning the sacred household fires, and profaning sacrifice by selling Soma.
In Gautama’s discourse on conduct and moral consequences, he classifies the act of stealing lotus-stalks as entailing grave ritual-ethical demerit, using strong comparisons to well-known major transgressions involving Veda, sacred fires, and Soma.