Shloka 126
Ahiṃsā as Threefold Restraint (Mind–Speech–Action) and the Ethics of Consumption
पापानि तु नरा: कृत्वा तिर्यग् जायन्ति भारत । न चात्मन: प्रमाणं ते धर्म जानन्ति किंचन
pāpāni tu narāḥ kṛtvā tiryag jāyanti bhārata | na cātmanaḥ pramāṇaṃ te dharma jānanti kiṃcana, bhārata ||
Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Wahai Bhārata, setelah melakukan dosa, manusia lahir dalam kalangan spesies rendah (binatang dan burung). Di sana, mereka tidak lagi memiliki panduan diri yang dapat diandalkan atau daya pertimbangan, dan mereka tidak mengetahui sedikit pun tentang dharma—jalan bagi pengangkatan diri.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sinful actions can lead to rebirth in lower forms of life, where the capacity for moral discernment and conscious pursuit of dharma is greatly diminished; therefore one should avoid pāpa and cultivate dharma while human.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Yudhiṣṭhira articulates a moral consequence of wrongdoing: those who commit sins may fall into animal birth, a state in which they lack the reflective knowledge and guidance needed for self-uplift through dharma.