Shloka 121
Puṣkara-Śapatha Itihāsa (Agastya–Indra Dispute at the Tīrthas) | पुष्कर-शपथ-आख्यानम्
द्वेष्यो भार्योपजीवी स्यादू दूरबन्धुश्न वैरवान् । अन्योन्यस्यातिथिकश्षास्तु बिसस्तैन्यं करोति यः:
bharadvāja uvāca | dveṣyo bhāryopajīvī syād dūrabandhuś ca vairavān | anyonyasyātithikaś cāstu bisastainyaṃ karoti yaḥ ||
Bharadvāja berkata: “Ia yang mencuri bisā menjadi orang yang dibenci; ia hidup dari penghasilan istrinya; ia menjauh dari sanak-kerabat; ia memusuhi semua orang; dan ia merosot hingga harus berpindah-pindah sebagai tamu yang bergantung dari rumah ke rumah.”
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even seemingly small theft (here, stealing lotus-stalk fibres) corrodes one’s social and moral standing: it leads to being despised, estranged from kin, prone to enmity, and reduced to dependence on others—illustrating how adharma brings tangible social consequences.
In Bharadvāja’s instruction within the Anuśāsana Parva, he lists the karmic and social outcomes that follow from committing theft, using the concrete example of stealing “bisa” to show how wrongdoing manifests as loss of respect, family bonds, and self-reliance.