Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 115
Puṣkara-Śapatha Itihāsa (Agastya–Indra Dispute at the Tīrthas) | पुष्कर-शपथ-आख्यानम्
शरणागतं हन्तु स वै स्वसुतां चोपजीवतु । अर्थान् कांक्षतु कीनाशाद् बिसस्तैन्यं करोति यः
śaraṇāgataṁ hantu sa vai svasutāṁ copajīvatu | arthān kāṅkṣatu kīnāśād bisastainyaṁ karoti yaḥ ||
Sinabi ni Vasiṣṭha: “Ang sinumang pumatay sa humingi ng kanlungan, ang sinumang nabubuhay sa pagbebenta ng sariling anak na babae, ang sinumang nag-iimbot at umaagaw ng yaman ng magsasaka, at ang sinumang nagnanakaw gaya ng pagnanakaw ng hibla ng tangkay ng lotus—ang taong iyon ay nagkakamit ng mabigat na kasalanan.”
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse condemns acts that violate dharma by exploiting vulnerability—especially harming a refuge-seeker, commodifying one’s own child for survival, and preying on a farmer’s livelihood. It frames such conduct as inherently sinful because it breaks the moral duty to protect and to earn without injustice.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Vasiṣṭha is presented as teaching ethical norms by listing representative wrongs—betraying refuge, immoral livelihood, and theft—so that listeners understand which behaviors are categorically blameworthy.