Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 125
Ahiṃsā as Threefold Restraint (Mind–Speech–Action) and the Ethics of Consumption
मत्स्ययोनिमनुप्राप्य मृतो जायति मानुष: । मानुषत्वमनुप्राप्य क्षीणायुरुपपद्यते,मत्स्ययोनिमें जन्म लेनेके बाद जब मरता है, तब पुनः मनुष्यका जन्म पाता है। मानव- योनिमें आकर उसकी आयु बहुत कम होती है
matsyayonim anuprāpya mṛto jāyati mānuṣaḥ | mānuṣatvam anuprāpya kṣīṇāyur upapadyate ||
Yudhiṣṭhira nói: “Đã vào thai loài cá, khi chết trong đó thì lại sinh làm người. Nhưng khi đạt lại thân phận con người, người ấy hiện hữu với thọ mạng suy giảm.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores saṃsāra: beings move through different births according to prior conditions, and even when human birth is regained, its quality—here, longevity—may be reduced, implying karmic consequence and the fragility of human life.
Yudhiṣṭhira is speaking within a dharma-discourse context, reflecting on the progression of births (from fish to human) and noting that the regained human birth can be marked by a shortened lifespan.