Ahiṃsā as Threefold Restraint (Mind–Speech–Action) and the Ethics of Consumption
असूयको नरश्नापि मृतो जायति शार्ज्गक: । विश्वासहर्ता तु नरो मीनो जायति दुर्मति:
asūyako naraś cāpi mṛto jāyati śārṅgakaḥ | viśvāsahartā tu naro mīno jāyati durmatiḥ ||
جو آدمی عیب جو اور حسد میں مبتلا ہو، وہ مر کر ہرن کی یونی میں پیدا ہوتا ہے؛ اور جو بدعقلی سے کسی کا اعتماد توڑتا ہے، وہ مچھلی بن کر جنم لیتا ہے۔
युधिछिर उवाच
The verse warns that habitual fault-finding (asūyā) and betrayal of trust (viśvāsa-haraṇa) are serious ethical failures with karmic consequences, leading to degraded rebirths; it promotes restraint in judgment and fidelity to trust as elements of dharma.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma and conduct, Yudhiṣṭhira articulates a moral rule linking specific vices—envy-driven criticism and breach of trust—to specific rebirth outcomes, as part of a broader discourse on the fruits of actions.