Shloka 72
Ahiṃsā as Threefold Restraint (Mind–Speech–Action) and the Ethics of Consumption
सस्यस्यान्यस्य हर्ता च मोहाज्जन्तुरचेतन: । स जायते महाराज मूषिको निरपत्रप:
sasyasyānyasya hartā ca mohāj jantur acetanaḥ | sa jāyate mahārāja mūṣiko nirapatrapaḥ ||
सस्यस्यान्यस्य हर्ता च मोहाज्जन्तुरचेतनः । स जायते महाराज मूषिको निरपत्रपः ॥
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Stealing essential produce under the sway of delusion is adharma; when shame and discernment are abandoned, the karmic result is a degraded rebirth—here, as a mouse—symbolizing furtiveness and shameless taking.
Yudhiṣṭhira addresses a ‘great king’ while discussing ethical consequences of actions. He states a specific karmic फल (result): one who steals grain and similar goods due to मोह (delusion) is reborn as a mūṣika (mouse).