Shloka 72
Ahiṃsā as Threefold Restraint (Mind–Speech–Action) and the Ethics of Consumption
सस्यस्यान्यस्य हर्ता च मोहाज्जन्तुरचेतन: । स जायते महाराज मूषिको निरपत्रप:
sasyasyānyasya hartā ca mohāj jantur acetanaḥ | sa jāyate mahārāja mūṣiko nirapatrapaḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira nói: “Hỡi đại vương, kẻ vì vô minh và mê muội mà hóa ra mất trí, vứt bỏ mọi hổ thẹn, rồi trộm lúa thóc và các sản vật khác—sau khi chết sẽ sinh làm chuột, vốn mang bản tính trơ trẽn.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Stealing essential produce under the sway of delusion is adharma; when shame and discernment are abandoned, the karmic result is a degraded rebirth—here, as a mouse—symbolizing furtiveness and shameless taking.
Yudhiṣṭhira addresses a ‘great king’ while discussing ethical consequences of actions. He states a specific karmic फल (result): one who steals grain and similar goods due to मोह (delusion) is reborn as a mūṣika (mouse).