Shloka 50
Adhyaya 3 — The Dharmapakshis’ Past-Life Curse and Indra’s Test of Truthfulness
योगमास्थाय विप्रेन्द्र त्यजेदं स्वं कलेवरम् ।
जीवज्जन्तुं हि विप्रेन्द्र न भक्षामि कदाचन ॥
yogamāsthāya viprendra tyajedaṃ svaṃ kalevaram | jīvajjantuṃ hi viprendra na bhakṣāmi kadācana ||
O Bester der Brāhmaṇas, wenn ich in die yogische Zucht eintrete, werde ich diesen Leib selbst verlassen; denn, o Bester der Brāhmaṇas, niemals esse ich ein lebendes Wesen.
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FAQs
The verse asserts an uncompromising ethic of ahiṃsā: one should not sustain oneself through direct harm to living beings. It also implies that yogic resolve is stronger than bodily compulsion—if forced into adharma for survival, the disciplined person would rather relinquish the body than violate the vow.
This is primarily Dharmānuśāsana (ethical instruction) rather than the core pañcalakṣaṇa topics (sarga, pratisarga, vaṃśa, manvantara, vaṃśānucarita). It functions as normative teaching embedded within the narrative framework.
On an inner level, ‘eating the living’ can symbolize appropriating vitality through violence-driven desire. The yogin’s stance—abandoning the body rather than feeding such impulses—points to mastery over prāṇa and craving, placing dharma above deha (the body) and bhoga (consumption).