Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 105
Ahiṃsā as Threefold Restraint (Mind–Speech–Action) and the Ethics of Consumption
अंशुकं चोरयित्वा तु शुकी जायति मानव: । चोरयित्वा दुकूलं तु मृतो हंस: प्रजायते
aṁśukaṁ corayitvā tu śukī jāyati mānavaḥ | corayitvā dukūlaṁ tu mṛto haṁsaḥ prajāyate |
Sinabi ni Yudhiṣṭhira: “Kapag nagnakaw ng aṁśuka (pinong tela), ang tao’y isisilang na loro. Kapag nagnakaw ng dukūla (panlabas na kasuotan) at saka namatay, isisilang siya sa lahi ng sisne.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that theft—even of everyday items like clothing—creates definite karmic results, shaping one’s future birth. Ethical conduct in small matters is therefore integral to dharma.
Yudhiṣṭhira is speaking within a dharma-instruction context, citing specific examples of karmic retribution: stealing a fine cloth leads to rebirth as a parrot, and stealing an upper garment leads (after death) to rebirth as a swan.