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 ||
Yudhiṣṭhira dit : «Ceux qui commettent des fautes puis, sans cesse, cherchent à les rejeter par des vœux et des observances demeurent enchaînés à l’alternance du plaisir et de la peine ; ils restent pourtant affligés. Leur trouble intérieur ne trouve pas de demeure stable, car l’expiation sans réforme véritable laisse intactes les racines du mal.»
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.