Shloka 120
Puṣkara-Śapatha Itihāsa (Agastya–Indra Dispute at the Tīrthas) | पुष्कर-शपथ-आख्यानम्
जगदग्निरुवाच पुरीषमुत्सृजत्वप्सु हन्तु गां चैव द्रह्मतु । अनृतौ मैथुन यातु बिसस्तैन्यं करोति यः:
jagadaagnir uvāca: purīṣam utsṛjatv apsu hantu gāṃ caiva drohatu | anṛtau maithunaṃ yātu bisastainyaṃ karoti yaḥ ||
Jagadagni disse: “Quem comete o roubo de talos de lótus (bisā) deve incorrer no pecado de defecar na água, no pecado de matar uma vaca, no pecado de trair (ou ferir) uma vaca, e no pecado de ter relações com uma mulher fora de sua estação apropriada. Assim se declara o grave peso ético de tal roubo.”
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that even seemingly minor theft (here, lotus-stalks) is ethically serious and is equated with major transgressions—polluting water, harming or betraying a cow, and improper sexual conduct—thereby warning that adharma in small acts carries heavy moral consequences.
In a didactic context on dharma and wrongdoing, the speaker (attributed here to Jagadagni) pronounces a set of sins that attach to a person who steals lotus-stalks, using strong comparisons to impress the gravity of the act.