Shloka 115
Puṣkara-Śapatha Itihāsa (Agastya–Indra Dispute at the Tīrthas) | पुष्कर-शपथ-आख्यानम्
शरणागतं हन्तु स वै स्वसुतां चोपजीवतु । अर्थान् कांक्षतु कीनाशाद् बिसस्तैन्यं करोति यः
śaraṇāgataṁ hantu sa vai svasutāṁ copajīvatu | arthān kāṅkṣatu kīnāśād bisastainyaṁ karoti yaḥ ||
Vasiṣṭha disse: “Aquele que mata quem buscou refúgio, que vive vendendo a própria filha, que cobiça e toma a riqueza de um lavrador, e que comete furto como o de fibras do talo de lótus—esse incorre em grave pecado.”
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse condemns acts that violate dharma by exploiting vulnerability—especially harming a refuge-seeker, commodifying one’s own child for survival, and preying on a farmer’s livelihood. It frames such conduct as inherently sinful because it breaks the moral duty to protect and to earn without injustice.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Vasiṣṭha is presented as teaching ethical norms by listing representative wrongs—betraying refuge, immoral livelihood, and theft—so that listeners understand which behaviors are categorically blameworthy.