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 ||
Yudhiṣṭhira disse: “Do mesmo modo, se um homem rouba comida misturada com torta de óleo (oil-cake), renasce como um rato pardo, áspero e feroz.”
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.