Shloka 117

Devanagari script

कश्यपने कहा--जिसने मृणालोंकी चोरी की हो उसको सब जगह सब तरहकी बातें कहने, दूसरोंकी धरोहर हड़प लेने और झूठी गवाही देनेका पाप लगे ।। वृथामांसाशनश्नास्तु वृथादानं करोतु च । यातु स्त्रियं दिवा चैव बिसस्तैन्यं करोति यः:,जो मृणालोंकी चोरी करता हो उसे मांसाहारका पाप लगे। उसका दान व्यर्थ चला जाय तथा उसे दिनमें स्त्रीके साथ समागम करनेका पाप लगे

Transliteration

kaśyapa uvāca—vṛthā-māṃsāśanaś caiva vṛthā-dānaṃ karotu ca | yātu striyaṃ divā caiva bisastainyaṃ karoti yaḥ ||

Translation

Kāśyapa said: “Whoever steals bisas (lotus-stalk fibres) incurs the taint of eating meat without cause; whatever charity he gives becomes fruitless; and he also bears the sin of consorting with a woman in the daytime. Thus even a seemingly minor theft draws multiple ethical and ritual consequences.”

Word by Word

वृथाin vain, uselessly

मांसाशनःone who eats meat

नास्तुlet him be / let him become

तुbut, and

वृथाin vain, uselessly

दानम्gift, donation

करोतुlet him do

चand

यातुlet him go

स्त्रियम्a woman

दिवाby day, in daytime

चand

एवindeed, just

बिसस्तैन्यम्theft of lotus-stalks (bisa)

करोतिdoes, commits

यःwho (he who)

Speaker

कश्यप उवाच

Characters & Entities

Kaśyapa

bisa (lotus-stalk fibres)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even small theft is not ‘small’ in dharma: it corrupts one’s purity, nullifies the spiritual efficacy of one’s gifts, and brings further moral taints. The verse stresses that wrongdoing multiplies consequences across ritual, social, and personal domains.

What is happening in the narrative?

In a didactic section of the Anuśāsana Parva, the sage Kāśyapa lays down a rule about the karmic/ethical repercussions of stealing lotus-stalk fibres (bisa), listing specific sins and losses of merit that follow such an act.