Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 117
Puṣkara-Śapatha Itihāsa (Agastya–Indra Dispute at the Tīrthas) | पुष्कर-शपथ-आख्यानम्
कश्यपने कहा--जिसने मृणालोंकी चोरी की हो उसको सब जगह सब तरहकी बातें कहने, दूसरोंकी धरोहर हड़प लेने और झूठी गवाही देनेका पाप लगे ।।
kaśyapa uvāca—vṛthā-māṃsāśanaś caiva vṛthā-dānaṃ karotu ca | yātu striyaṃ divā caiva bisastainyaṃ karoti yaḥ ||
Sinabi ni Kāśyapa: “Ang sinumang magnakaw ng bisa (mga hibla ng tangkay ng lotus) ay magkakamit ng dungis ng kasalanang tulad ng pagkain ng karne nang walang dahilan; ang anumang kawanggawang ibigay niya ay mawawalan ng bunga; at papasanin din niya ang kasalanan ng pakikipagtalik sa babae sa oras ng araw. Kaya kahit ang pagnanakaw na wari’y maliit ay may maraming kaparusahan sa dharma at sa ritwal.”
कश्यप उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even small theft is not ‘small’ in dharma: it corrupts one’s purity, nullifies the spiritual efficacy of one’s gifts, and brings further moral taints. The verse stresses that wrongdoing multiplies consequences across ritual, social, and personal domains.
In a didactic section of the Anuśāsana Parva, the sage Kāśyapa lays down a rule about the karmic/ethical repercussions of stealing lotus-stalk fibres (bisa), listing specific sins and losses of merit that follow such an act.