Shloka 62
Ahiṃsā as Threefold Restraint (Mind–Speech–Action) and the Ethics of Consumption
मातापितरावाक़ुश्य सारिक: सम्प्रजायते । ताडयित्वा तु तावेव जायते कच्छपो नृूप
mātāpitarāv ākruśya śārikaḥ samprajāyate | tāḍayitvā tu tāv eva jāyate kacchapo nṛpa ||
Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Barangsiapa mencela ayah dan ibunya atau memaki mereka dengan kata-kata kasar, ia terlahir kembali sebagai burung myna. Namun, wahai raja, siapa yang memukul kedua orang tua itu, ia terlahir sebagai kura-kura.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that disrespect toward parents—especially abusive speech and physical violence—constitutes grave adharma with karmic consequences, expressed through symbolic rebirths (myna-bird for verbal abuse; tortoise for striking).
In a dharma-instruction context of the Anuśāsana Parva, Yudhiṣṭhira states a moral rule about conduct toward parents, warning the kingly listener that insulting or harming one’s parents leads to degraded rebirths.