Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 55
Ahiṃsā as Threefold Restraint (Mind–Speech–Action) and the Ethics of Consumption
श्वयोनौ तु स सम्भूतस्त्रीणि वर्षाणि जीवति । तत्रापि निधन प्राप्त: कृमियोनौ प्रजायते
śvayonau tu sa sambhūtas trīṇi varṣāṇi jīvati | tatrāpi nidhanaṁ prāpya kṛmiyonau prajāyate ||
Sinabi ni Yudhiṣṭhira: “Isinilang sa sinapupunan ng aso, nabubuhay siya nang tatlong taon. Doon din, pagdating ng kamatayan, siya’y muling isisilang sa sinapupunan ng uod.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores karmic consequence: unethical conduct can lead to degrading rebirths, illustrating that actions shape future embodiments and experiences.
Yudhiṣṭhira describes a sequence of transmigration: after being born as a dog and living three years, the being dies and is reborn as a worm, as part of a larger account of karmic retribution and eventual change of birth.