Shloka 68
Ahiṃsā as Threefold Restraint (Mind–Speech–Action) and the Ethics of Consumption
असूयको नरश्नापि मृतो जायति शार्ज्गक: । विश्वासहर्ता तु नरो मीनो जायति दुर्मति:,दूसरोंके दोष ढूँढ़नेवाला मनुष्य हरिणकी योनिमें जन्म लेता है तथा जो अपनी खोटी बुद्धिके कारण किसीके साथ विश्वासघात करता है, वह मनुष्य मछली होता है
asūyako naraś cāpi mṛto jāyati śārṅgakaḥ | viśvāsahartā tu naro mīno jāyati durmatiḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Seseorang yang gemar mencari-cari kesalahan dan iri hati, apabila mati, lahir sebagai rusa. Tetapi orang yang berakal songsang, yang mengkhianati kepercayaan orang lain, lahir sebagai ikan.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse warns that habitual fault-finding (asūyā) and betrayal of trust (viśvāsa-haraṇa) are serious ethical failures with karmic consequences, leading to degraded rebirths; it promotes restraint in judgment and fidelity to trust as elements of dharma.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma and conduct, Yudhiṣṭhira articulates a moral rule linking specific vices—envy-driven criticism and breach of trust—to specific rebirth outcomes, as part of a broader discourse on the fruits of actions.