Shloka 97
Ahiṃsā as Threefold Restraint (Mind–Speech–Action) and the Ethics of Consumption
ततो गर्भशतैर्जन्तुर्बहुभि: सम्प्रपद्यते । संसारांश्व बहून् गत्वा ततस्तिर्यक्षु जायते
tato garbhaśatair jantur bahubhiḥ samprapadyate | saṃsārāṃś ca bahūn gatvā tatas tiryakṣu jāyate ||
Então o ser encarnado atravessa muitas centenas de ventres, suportando repetidas vezes a provação da gestação. Depois de vagar por numerosos ciclos do saṃsāra e nascer de novo e de novo, nasce então entre as espécies animais (não humanas).
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that repeated births and the suffering of gestation are consequences of continued bondage to saṃsāra; unethical or ignorant conduct can prolong this wandering and culminate in lower, animal births, whereas dharma aims to break the cycle.
Yudhiṣṭhira is speaking within the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma and the fruits of actions, describing the jīva’s long journey through many wombs and its possible descent into animal embodiment after extensive transmigration.