Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 127
Ahiṃsā as Threefold Restraint (Mind–Speech–Action) and the Ethics of Consumption
ये पापानि नराः कृत्वा निरस्यन्ति व्रतैः सदा । सुखदुःखसमायुक्ता व्यथितास्ते भवन्त्युत
ye pāpāni narāḥ kṛtvā nirasyanti vrataiḥ sadā | sukhaduḥkhasamāyuktā vyathitās te bhavanty uta ||
Dijo Yudhiṣṭhira: «Aquellos hombres que cometen pecados y luego, sin cesar, intentan arrojarlos lejos mediante votos y observancias, permanecen atados a la alternancia de placer y dolor; aun así quedan afligidos. Su desasosiego interior no halla morada firme, pues la expiación sin una reforma verdadera deja intactas las raíces de la mala conducta».
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Expiatory vows alone do not secure peace if one continues sinful conduct; without genuine inner change and restraint, a person remains trapped in recurring pleasure and pain and lives in ongoing distress.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s dharma-instruction setting, Yudhiṣṭhira speaks about the moral psychology of wrongdoing and atonement, emphasizing that repeated sin followed by ritual remedies still results in suffering.