Shloka 176
Ahiṃsā as Threefold Restraint (Mind–Speech–Action) and the Ethics of Consumption
नर: करोत्यकार्याणि परार्थे लोभमोहितः । जो बहुश्रुत नहीं है, वही मनुष्य लोभ और मोहके वशीभूत हो दूसरेके लिये लोभ, मोह, दया अथवा भयसे न करने योग्य पापकर्म कर बैठता है
naraḥ karoty akāryāṇi parārthe lobhamohitaḥ |
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “A person, deluded by greed, commits deeds that ought not to be done, even for the sake of another.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when an act is justified as being ‘for someone else,’ greed-born delusion can lead a person to commit akārya (unlawful/unethical deeds). Dharma requires discernment and restraint, not rationalizing wrongdoing as service.
In the Anuśāsana-parvan’s instruction-focused dialogue, Yudhiṣṭhira speaks a general ethical observation: people, when overcome by lobha and moha, may perform prohibited acts under the banner of benefiting another.