Shloka 132
Puṣkara-Śapatha Itihāsa (Agastya–Indra Dispute at the Tīrthas) | पुष्कर-शपथ-आख्यानम्
शुन:सख उवाच अध्वर्यवे दुहितरं वा ददातु च्छन्दोगे वा चरितब्रह्यचर्ये आशरथर्वणं वेदमधीत्य विप्र: स््नायीत वा यो हरते बिसानि,शुन:ःसखने कहा--जिसने मृणालोंको चुराया हो वह ब्रह्मचर्यव्रत पूर्ण करके आये हुए यजुर्वेदी अथवा सामवेदी विद्वानको कन्यादान दे अथवा वह ब्राह्मण अथर्ववेदका अध्ययन पूरा करके शीघ्र ही स्नातक बन जाय
Śunaḥsakha uvāca—adhvaryave duhitaraṃ vā dadātu chāndoge vā carita-brahmacarye; āśaratharvaṇaṃ vedam adhītya vipraḥ snāyīta vā yo harate bisāni.
Śunaḥsakha said: “Let the one who has stolen the lotus-stalks make amends by giving his daughter in marriage to a learned priest—either an Adhvaryu versed in the Yajurveda or a Chāndoga of the Sāmaveda who has completed the discipline of brahmacarya. Or else, having fully studied the Atharvaveda, let that Brahmin promptly take the snātaka bath.”
शुन:सख उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even minor theft disrupts dharma and requires restitution. The text recommends expiation that strengthens sacred learning and social responsibility—supporting qualified Vedic priests through a major gift (kanyādāna) or completing Vedic study and the snātaka rite, thereby restoring purity and right conduct.
Śunaḥsakha is prescribing a prāyaścitta (atonement) for someone who has stolen lotus-stalks. He outlines alternative remedies: give one’s daughter in marriage to a properly trained Yajurvedic or Sāmavedic priest who has completed brahmacarya, or complete Atharvavedic study and take the snātaka bath—formalizing a return to disciplined, dharmic life.