Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 1196
Ahiṃsā as Threefold Restraint (Mind–Speech–Action) and the Ethics of Consumption
ततः पापक्षयं कृत्वा मानुषत्वमवाप्तुते । भोजनकी चोरी करके मनुष्य मक्खी होता है और कई महीनोंतक मक्खियोंके समुदायके अधीन रहता है। तत्पश्चात् पापोंका भोग समाप्त करके वह पुनः मनुष्य-योनिमें जन्म लेता है
tataḥ pāpakṣayaṁ kṛtvā mānuṣatvam avāpnute |
Sesudah itu, setelah sisa dosanya habis, ia memperoleh kembali keadaan sebagai manusia. Pencuri makanan terlahir sebagai lalat dan selama berbulan-bulan berada di bawah kawanan lalat; kemudian, ketika buah dosanya telah tuntas dialami, ia lahir kembali dalam rahim manusia.
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Actions generate karmic results: wrongdoing leads to suffering and lower states, but once the demerit is fully exhausted (pāpakṣaya), the soul can regain human birth, where ethical responsibility and the possibility of reform return.
In a discussion on dharma and the fruits of sin, Yudhiṣṭhira’s line summarizes the conclusion of a karmic sequence: after undergoing the consequences of one’s misdeeds, the being’s sinful residue is spent and it is reborn as a human again.