Shloka 100
Ahiṃsā as Threefold Restraint (Mind–Speech–Action) and the Ethics of Consumption
फल वा मूलकं हृत्वा अपूपं वा पिपीलिका: । चोरयित्वा च निष्पावं जायते हलगोलक:
phalaṁ vā mūlakaṁ hṛtvā apūpaṁ vā pipīlikāḥ | corayitvā ca niṣpāvaṁ jāyate halagolakaḥ ||
Whoever steals fruit, a mūlaka (radish), or an apūpa (cake) is reborn as an ant. And one who steals niṣpāva (a kind of pulse/bean) is born as a creature called halagolaka.
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even seemingly minor theft violates dharma and carries karmic consequences; the text warns that stealing small items can lead to degrading rebirths, reinforcing the ethical principle of asteya (non-stealing).
In a didactic exchange within the Anuśāsana Parva, Yudhiṣṭhira states specific karmic results for stealing particular foods, using vivid examples (rebirth as an ant or as a halagolaka creature) to emphasize moral accountability.