Shloka 117
Puṣkara-Śapatha Itihāsa (Agastya–Indra Dispute at the Tīrthas) | पुष्कर-शपथ-आख्यानम्
कश्यपने कहा--जिसने मृणालोंकी चोरी की हो उसको सब जगह सब तरहकी बातें कहने, दूसरोंकी धरोहर हड़प लेने और झूठी गवाही देनेका पाप लगे ।।
kaśyapa uvāca—vṛthā-māṃsāśanaś caiva vṛthā-dānaṃ karotu ca | yātu striyaṃ divā caiva bisastainyaṃ karoti yaḥ ||
Kāśyapa berkata: “Siapa pun yang mencuri bisā (serat tangkai teratai) menanggung noda dosa seperti memakan daging tanpa alasan; sedekah yang ia berikan menjadi sia-sia; dan ia pun memikul dosa bergaul dengan perempuan pada siang hari. Demikianlah, pencurian yang tampak kecil pun mendatangkan banyak akibat dharma dan ritus.”
कश्यप उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even small theft is not ‘small’ in dharma: it corrupts one’s purity, nullifies the spiritual efficacy of one’s gifts, and brings further moral taints. The verse stresses that wrongdoing multiplies consequences across ritual, social, and personal domains.
In a didactic section of the Anuśāsana Parva, the sage Kāśyapa lays down a rule about the karmic/ethical repercussions of stealing lotus-stalk fibres (bisa), listing specific sins and losses of merit that follow such an act.