Shloka 89
Ahiṃsā as Threefold Restraint (Mind–Speech–Action) and the Ethics of Consumption
वृषलो ब्राह्मणीं गत्वा कृमियोनौ प्रजायते । ततः सम्प्राप्प निधनं जायते सूकर: पुनः:
vṛṣalo brāhmaṇīṃ gatvā kṛmiyonau prajāyate | tataḥ samprāpya nidhanaṃ jāyate sūkaraḥ punaḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira dit : « Si un homme de la classe śūdra s’unit charnellement à une femme brāhmaṇa, alors, après avoir quitté son corps, il renaît d’abord dans le sein des vers. Puis, mourant encore, il renaît en porc. »
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches a karmic warning: violating prescribed social/sexual boundaries (as framed in this dharma-discourse) is said to lead to morally and existentially degrading rebirths, emphasizing restraint and adherence to normative conduct.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s instructional setting, Yudhiṣṭhira voices a rule-like statement about consequences: a śūdra man who approaches a brāhmaṇa woman is described as undergoing successive low rebirths—first as a worm, then as a pig—after death.