Shloka 119
Ahiṃsā as Threefold Restraint (Mind–Speech–Action) and the Ethics of Consumption
भोजन चोरयित्वा तु मक्षिका जायते नर: । मक्षिकासंघवशगो बहून् मासान् भवत्युत
bhojanaṃ corayitvā tu makṣikā jāyate naraḥ | makṣikāsaṅghavaśago bahūn māsān bhavaty uta ||
Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Seorang lelaki yang mencuri makanan akan lahir semula sebagai lalat. Tunduk di bawah kuasa sekawan lalat, dia kekal dalam keadaan itu selama berbulan-bulan.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Stealing even basic necessities like food is treated as adharma with tangible karmic consequences; the verse warns that such wrongdoing can lead to a degrading rebirth and prolonged suffering, reinforcing restraint, honesty, and respect for others’ sustenance.
Within Yudhiṣṭhira’s dharma-inquiry context in the Anuśāsana Parva, he states a specific karmaphala (result of action): the thief of food is said to be reborn as a fly and to endure life under the compulsion of a swarm for many months.