Shloka 132
Puṣkara-Śapatha Itihāsa (Agastya–Indra Dispute at the Tīrthas) | पुष्कर-शपथ-आख्यानम्
शुन:सख उवाच अध्वर्यवे दुहितरं वा ददातु च्छन्दोगे वा चरितब्रह्यचर्ये आशरथर्वणं वेदमधीत्य विप्र: स््नायीत वा यो हरते बिसानि
Śunaḥsakha uvāca—adhvaryave duhitaraṃ vā dadātu chāndoge vā carita-brahmacarye; āśaratharvaṇaṃ vedam adhītya vipraḥ snāyīta vā yo harate bisāni.
Śunaḥsakha dit : «Que celui qui a dérobé les tiges de lotus expie sa faute en donnant sa fille en mariage à un prêtre savant—soit un Adhvaryu versé dans le Yajurveda, soit un Chāndoga du Sāmaveda ayant achevé la discipline du brahmacarya. Ou bien, après avoir étudié pleinement l’Atharvaveda, que ce brahmane prenne sans tarder le bain de snātaka.»
शुन:सख उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even minor theft disrupts dharma and requires restitution. The text recommends expiation that strengthens sacred learning and social responsibility—supporting qualified Vedic priests through a major gift (kanyādāna) or completing Vedic study and the snātaka rite, thereby restoring purity and right conduct.
Śunaḥsakha is prescribing a prāyaścitta (atonement) for someone who has stolen lotus-stalks. He outlines alternative remedies: give one’s daughter in marriage to a properly trained Yajurvedic or Sāmavedic priest who has completed brahmacarya, or complete Atharvavedic study and take the snātaka bath—formalizing a return to disciplined, dharmic life.