Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 55
Ahiṃsā as Threefold Restraint (Mind–Speech–Action) and the Ethics of Consumption
श्वयोनौ तु स सम्भूतस्त्रीणि वर्षाणि जीवति । तत्रापि निधन प्राप्त: कृमियोनौ प्रजायते
śvayonau tu sa sambhūtas trīṇi varṣāṇi jīvati | tatrāpi nidhanaṁ prāpya kṛmiyonau prajāyate ||
वह कुत्ते की योनि में उत्पन्न होकर तीन वर्ष तक जीवित रहता है। वहीं मृत्यु को प्राप्त होकर वह कीड़े की योनि में जन्म लेता है।
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores karmic consequence: unethical conduct can lead to degrading rebirths, illustrating that actions shape future embodiments and experiences.
Yudhiṣṭhira describes a sequence of transmigration: after being born as a dog and living three years, the being dies and is reborn as a worm, as part of a larger account of karmic retribution and eventual change of birth.