Shloka 46

Ahiṃsā as Threefold Restraint (Mind–Speech–Action) and the Ethics of Consumption

Devanagari script

अधीत्य चतुरो वेदान्‌ द्विजो मोहसमन्वित: । पतितात्‌ प्रतिगृह्याथ खरयोनौ प्रजायते,जो द्विज चारों वेदोंका अध्ययन करनेके बाद भी मोहवश पतित मनुष्योंसे दान लेता है, उसका गदहेकी योनिमें जन्म होता है

Transliteration

adhītya caturo vedān dvijo moha-samanvitaḥ | patitāt pratigṛhyātha khara-yonau prajāyate ||

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Walaupun telah mempelajari keempat-empat Veda, jika seorang dvija (yang ‘dua kali lahir’), dikuasai kekeliruan, menerima pemberian daripada orang yang jatuh (rosak akhlaknya), maka selepas itu dia lahir dalam rahim seekor keldai.”

Word by Word

अधीत्यhaving studied

चतुरःfour

वेदान्Vedas

द्विजःa twice-born (Brahmin)

मोह-समन्वितःdeluded; possessed of infatuation

पतितात्from a fallen person

प्रतिगृह्यhaving accepted (as a gift)

अथthen

खर-योनौin the womb/species of a donkey

प्रजायतेis born; comes to be born

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

dvija (twice-born)

Vedas (four)

patita (fallen person)

khara (donkey)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Vedic learning alone does not sanctify a person; ethical discernment is essential. Accepting gifts from morally fallen sources is condemned as it corrupts the recipient and leads to severe karmic consequences, symbolized here by rebirth in a donkey’s womb.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Anuśāsana Parva’s dharma-instruction context, Yudhiṣṭhira articulates a rule about dāna (accepting gifts): a dvija who, despite Vedic study, takes donations from a patita acts under delusion and incurs a degrading rebirth.