Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 50
Ahiṃsā as Threefold Restraint (Mind–Speech–Action) and the Ethics of Consumption
कृमिभावाद् विमुक्तस्तु ततो जायति गर्दभ: । गर्दभ: पञ्च वर्षाणि पज्च वर्षाणि सूकर:
kṛmibhāvād vimuktas tu tato jāyati gardabhaḥ | gardabhaḥ pañca varṣāṇi pañca varṣāṇi sūkaraḥ ||
یُدھِشٹھِر نے کہا—کیڑے کی حالت سے چھوٹنے پر وہ گدھے کی یَونی میں پیدا ہوتا ہے۔ گدھا پانچ برس رہتا ہے، اور پھر پانچ برس سور کی یَونی میں رہتا ہے۔
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse conveys a karmic-moral lesson: actions can lead to degraded births, and embodied states may follow a sequence over time, emphasizing ethical responsibility and the long arc of consequences.
Yudhiṣṭhira is speaking within a didactic discussion on dharma and karmic results, describing a progression of rebirth from a worm to a donkey and then to a pig, each for a specified duration.