Puṣkara-Śapatha Itihāsa (Agastya–Indra Dispute at the Tīrthas) | पुष्कर-शपथ-आख्यानम्
शरणागतं हन्तु स वै स्वसुतां चोपजीवतु । अर्थान् कांक्षतु कीनाशाद् बिसस्तैन्यं करोति यः
śaraṇāgataṁ hantu sa vai svasutāṁ copajīvatu | arthān kāṅkṣatu kīnāśād bisastainyaṁ karoti yaḥ ||
ヴァシシュタは言った。「庇護を求めて来た者を殺す者、自らの娘を売って生計を立てる者、農夫の財を貪って奪い取る者、そして蓮の茎の繊維を盗むような盗みを働く者——その者は重い罪を負う。」
वसिष्ठ उवाच
The verse condemns acts that violate dharma by exploiting vulnerability—especially harming a refuge-seeker, commodifying one’s own child for survival, and preying on a farmer’s livelihood. It frames such conduct as inherently sinful because it breaks the moral duty to protect and to earn without injustice.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Vasiṣṭha is presented as teaching ethical norms by listing representative wrongs—betraying refuge, immoral livelihood, and theft—so that listeners understand which behaviors are categorically blameworthy.