Shloka 61
Ahiṃsā as Threefold Restraint (Mind–Speech–Action) and the Ethics of Consumption
खरो जीवति मासांस्तु दश श्वा च चतुर्दश । बिडाल: सप्तमासांस्तु ततो जायति मानव:
kharo jīvati māsāṁs tu daśa śvā ca caturdaśa | biḍālaḥ saptamāsāṁs tu tato jāyati mānavaḥ ||
Ia tinggal selama sepuluh bulan sebagai keledai; kemudian empat belas bulan sebagai anjing; dan tujuh bulan sebagai kucing. Setelah itu barulah ia terlahir kembali dalam keadaan manusia.
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights karmic causality and the idea that after experiencing lower embodiments (animal yonis) for specified durations, a being may eventually regain human birth—implying that ethical conduct is crucial to avoid degradation and to secure a meaningful human life.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction-focused dialogue, Yudhiṣṭhira speaks about the sequence and duration of births in different wombs/species, describing a progression from donkey to dog to cat and then back to human birth, as part of a broader discussion on conduct and its results.