Shloka 49
Ahiṃsā as Threefold Restraint (Mind–Speech–Action) and the Ethics of Consumption
पतितं याजयित्वा तु कृमियोनौ प्रजायते । तत्र जीवति वर्षाणि दश पञ्च च भारत
patitaṃ yājayitvā tu kṛmiyonau prajāyate | tatra jīvati varṣāṇi daśa pañca ca bhārata ||
Yudhiṣṭhira dijo: «Pero quien oficia como sacerdote para un hombre caído (patita), tras la muerte renace en el vientre de los gusanos. ¡Oh Bhārata!, allí vive quince años».
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that a priest’s complicity in conducting rites for someone deemed ritually fallen (patita) is itself a serious adharma, bringing harsh karmic retribution—rebirth in a low form (worms) for a fixed period—thereby stressing responsibility and discernment in religious service.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s dharma-instruction context, Yudhiṣṭhira states a specific consequence for the act of officiating a sacrifice for a patita, addressing “Bhārata,” and quantifies the resulting low rebirth as lasting fifteen years.