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 ||
バラドヴァージャは言った。「ビサ（蓮の茎の繊維）を盗む者は人々に憎まれ、妻の稼ぎにすがって生き、親族から疎まれ、万民に敵対し、ついには恥辱の境涯へと落ちて、家から家へと身を寄せる従属の客となる。」
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.