Shloka 121
Ahiṃsā as Threefold Restraint (Mind–Speech–Action) and the Ethics of Consumption
तथा पिण्याकसम्मसिश्रमशन चोरयेन्नर: । स जायते बश्रुसमो दारुणो मूषिको नर:
tathā piṇyākasammisraṁ aśanaṁ corayen naraḥ | sa jāyate babhrusamo dāruṇo mūṣiko naraḥ ||
ਇਸੇ ਤਰ੍ਹਾਂ ਜੋ ਮਨੁੱਖ ਪਿੰਯਾਕ (ਤੇਲ ਕੱਢਣ ਤੋਂ ਬਾਅਦ ਰਹਿ ਜਾਣ ਵਾਲੀ ਖਲੀ) ਮਿਲਿਆ ਭੋਜਨ ਚੁਰਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ, ਉਹ ਭੂਰੇ ਰੰਗ ਦਾ, ਕਠੋਰ ਸੁਭਾਉ ਵਾਲਾ ਚੂਹਾ ਬਣ ਕੇ ਜਨਮ ਲੈਂਦਾ ਹੈ।
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even seemingly minor theft—especially of basic sustenance—violates dharma and leads to degrading karmic results; the verse uses rebirth as a mouse to stress the moral gravity of dishonest livelihood.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s ethical instruction context, Yudhiṣṭhira cites a specific case of stealing food mixed with oil-cake and states the corresponding karmic consequence: rebirth as a fierce, brown mouse.