Shloka 131

Puṣkara-Śapatha Itihāsa (Agastya–Indra Dispute at the Tīrthas) | पुष्कर-शपथ-आख्यानम्

Devanagari script

पशुसख उवाच दास एव प्रजायेतामप्रसूतिरकिंचन: । दैवतेष्वनमस्कारो बिसस्तैन्यं करोति यः,पशुसख बोला--जिसने मृणालोंकी चोरी की हो उसे दूसरे जन्ममें भी दासीके ही घरमें पैदा होने, संतानहीन और निर्धन होने तथा देवताओंको नमस्कार न करनेका पाप लगे

Transliteration

paśusakha uvāca dāsa eva prajāyetām aprasūtir akiñcanaḥ | daivateṣv ananamaskāro bisastainyaṃ karoti yaḥ ||

Translation

Paśusakha said: “One who commits the theft of lotus-fibres (bisā) is reborn only in the house of a female slave, becomes childless and destitute, and also incurs the sin of failing to offer reverence to the deities.”

Word by Word

पशुसखःPashusakha (name/title of the speaker)

उवाचsaid

दासःa slave/servant (male)

एवindeed/only

प्रजायेतwould be born

अप्रसूतिःchildlessness/being without offspring

अकिञ्चनःdestitute/without possessions

दैवतेषुtowards/with regard to the deities

अनमस्कारःnon-salutation/disrespect (not bowing)

बिसस्तैन्यम्theft of lotus-stalks (fibrous stems)

करोतिdoes/commits

यःwho (he who)

Speaker

पशुसख उवाच

Characters & Entities

Paśusakha

daivata (deities)

bisā (lotus-fibres)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even seemingly minor theft (here, lotus-fibres) is treated as a serious breach of dharma, bringing karmic consequences such as low birth, poverty, and childlessness; additionally, neglecting reverence to the deities is framed as a separate moral fault.

What is happening in the narrative?

In a didactic context within the Anuśāsana Parva, the speaker Paśusakha states a rule of karmic retribution: the act of stealing lotus-fibres leads to adverse rebirth and life conditions, and the offender is also marked by the sin of not offering salutations to the gods.