Shloka 120
Puṣkara-Śapatha Itihāsa (Agastya–Indra Dispute at the Tīrthas) | पुष्कर-शपथ-आख्यानम्
जगदग्निरुवाच पुरीषमुत्सृजत्वप्सु हन्तु गां चैव द्रह्मतु । अनृतौ मैथुन यातु बिसस्तैन्यं करोति यः:
jagadaagnir uvāca: purīṣam utsṛjatv apsu hantu gāṃ caiva drohatu | anṛtau maithunaṃ yātu bisastainyaṃ karoti yaḥ ||
Jagadagni dijo: «Quien cometa el robo de tallos de loto (bisā) debe incurrir en el pecado de evacuar en el agua, en el pecado de matar una vaca, en el pecado de traicionar (o dañar) a una vaca, y en el pecado de unirse carnalmente con una mujer fuera de su estación debida. Así se declara el grave peso ético de tal robo.»
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that even seemingly minor theft (here, lotus-stalks) is ethically serious and is equated with major transgressions—polluting water, harming or betraying a cow, and improper sexual conduct—thereby warning that adharma in small acts carries heavy moral consequences.
In a didactic context on dharma and wrongdoing, the speaker (attributed here to Jagadagni) pronounces a set of sins that attach to a person who steals lotus-stalks, using strong comparisons to impress the gravity of the act.