Shloka 111
Ahiṃsā as Threefold Restraint (Mind–Speech–Action) and the Ethics of Consumption
यस्तु चोरयते तैलं नरो मोहसमन्वित: । सो<पि राजन् मृतो जन्तुस्तैलपायी प्रजायते
yastu corayate tailaṃ naro mohasamanvitaḥ | so 'pi rājan mṛto jantus tailapāyī prajāyate ||
Yudhiṣṭhira dit : «Ô Roi ! L’homme qui, saisi par l’illusion (moha), vole de l’huile renaît, après sa mort, en une créature appelée tailapāyī, un ver buveur d’huile. Ainsi, même les vols qui paraissent minimes entraînent de lourdes conséquences karmiques.»
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that theft—even of common household items like oil—arising from moha (delusion) leads to serious karmic results, expressed here as a degrading rebirth. It reinforces the dharmic principle of non-stealing and accountability for seemingly minor wrongdoing.
Within the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma (especially gifts and conduct), Yudhiṣṭhira addresses the king and cites a specific example: a person who steals oil is said to be reborn as an ‘oil-drinking’ worm, illustrating the moral causality of actions.