Ahiṃsā as Threefold Restraint (Mind–Speech–Action) and the Ethics of Consumption
सूकर: पज्च वर्षाणि दश वर्षाणि श्वाविध: । बिडाल: पज्च वर्षाणि दश वर्षाणि कुक्कुट:
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | sūkaraḥ pañca varṣāṇi daśa varṣāṇi śvāvidhaḥ | biḍālaḥ pañca varṣāṇi daśa varṣāṇi kukkuṭaḥ |
Wika ni Yudhiṣṭhira: “(Ang nilalang) ay nagiging baboy-ramo sa loob ng limang taon, nagiging śvāvidha sa loob ng sampung taon, nagiging pusa sa loob ng limang taon, at nagiging tandang sa loob ng sampung taon.”
युधिछिर उवाच
The verse supports the Anuśāsana Parva’s ethical instruction by illustrating saṃsāra: actions can propel a being through successive non-human births for fixed spans, underscoring the gravity of adharma and the need for righteous conduct to avoid degrading rebirths.
Yudhiṣṭhira is speaking within a didactic exchange on dharma and karmic results, listing a sequence of animal embodiments and their durations as part of a broader description of how a soul may wander through various wombs due to past deeds.