Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 66
Ahiṃsā as Threefold Restraint (Mind–Speech–Action) and the Ethics of Consumption
दस वर्षोतक वानर, पाँच वर्षोतक चूहा और छ: महीनोंतक कुत्ता होकर वह मनुष्यका जन्म पाता है ।।
daśa varṣāṇi vānaro bhūtvā pañca varṣāṇi mūṣako bhūtvā ṣaṇmāsān śvā bhūtvā sa manuṣyajanma prāpnoti || nyāsāpahartā tu naro yamasya viṣayaṃ gataḥ | saṃsārāṇāṃ śataṃ gatvā kṛmiyōnau prajāyate ||
ຢຸທິສຖິຣະ ກ່າວວ່າ: «ຫຼັງຈາກເປັນລີງສິບປີ, ເປັນໜູຫ້າປີ, ແລະເປັນໝາຫົກເດືອນ, ຈຶ່ງໄດ້ເກີດເປັນມະນຸດ. ແຕ່ຜູ້ໃດຍຶດເອົາຊັບທີ່ຜູ້ອື່ນຝາກໄວ້ ຈະໄປສູ່ແດນຂອງພະຍົມ; ພໍວຽນວ່າຍຜ່ານການເກີດຮ້ອຍຄັ້ງ ສຸດທ້າຍຈຶ່ງເກີດເປັນໜອນ».
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Misappropriating what is entrusted (nyāsa) is a grave breach of dharma. The verse teaches that betrayal of trust brings severe karmic consequences—punishment in Yama’s realm and a long descent through inferior births—highlighting the sanctity of safeguarding others’ property.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s ethical instruction context, Yudhiṣṭhira states the karmic outcomes of certain actions: one trajectory describes passing through animal lives before reaching human birth, while the specific offender—one who steals a deposit—goes to Yama’s domain and, after many rebirths, ends in a worm-birth.