Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 86
Ahiṃsā as Threefold Restraint (Mind–Speech–Action) and the Ethics of Consumption
वायस: शतवर्षाणि ततो जायति कुक्कुट: । जायते व्यालकश्चापि मासं तस्मात् तु मानुष:,सौ वर्षोतक कौएके शरीरमें रहकर वह मुर्गा होता है। उसके बाद एक मासतक सर्प रहता है। तत्पश्चात् मनुष्यका जन्म पाता है
vāyasaḥ śatavarṣāṇi tato jāyate kukkuṭaḥ | jāyate vyālakaś cāpi māsaṃ tasmāt tu mānuṣaḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “For a hundred years one is born as a crow; thereafter one is born as a cock. One is also born as a serpent for a month; after that, one attains birth as a human being.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse conveys karmic progression through different births for specified durations, implying that conduct can result in lower embodiments, while human birth is a significant regained chance to pursue dharma and ethical self-correction.
Yudhiṣṭhira is describing a sequence of rebirths—crow for a hundred years, then cock, then serpent for a month, and finally human—within a broader Anuśāsana-parvan discussion that instructs on moral law, consequences of actions, and the value of righteous living.