Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 51

Ahiṃsā as Threefold Restraint (Mind–Speech–Action) and the Ethics of Consumption

Devanagari script

कुक्कुटः पञ्च वर्षाणि पज्च वर्षाणि जम्बुक: । थ्वा वर्षमेक॑ं भवति ततो जायति मानव:

Transliteration

kukkutaḥ pañca varṣāṇi pañca varṣāṇi jambukaḥ | dvā varṣam ekaṁ bhavati tato jāyati mānavaḥ ||

Translation

尤提施提罗说道：“公鸡活五年，豺也活五年；而人的生命却极其短促——几乎不过一年——便又逝去。”

Word by Word

• कुक्कुटः: a cock/rooster
• कुक्कुटः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुक्कुट
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• पञ्च: five
• पञ्च: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्च
• Form: —, Accusative (used adverbially with time), Plural

• वर्षाणि: years (for a duration)
• वर्षाणि: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (duration of time), Plural

• पञ्च: five
• पञ्च: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्च
• Form: —, Accusative (used adverbially with time), Plural

• वर्षाणि: years (for a duration)
• वर्षाणि: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (duration of time), Plural

• जम्बुकः: a jackal
• जम्बुकः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: जम्बुक
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• त्वा: you (object)
• त्वा: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: त्वद्
• Form: —, Accusative, Singular

• वर्षम्: a year (for a duration)
• वर्षम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (duration of time), Singular

• एकम्: one
• एकम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• भवति: is/exists; becomes
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू
• Form: Present, Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• ततः: then; thereafter
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः

• जायति: is born; arises
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन्
• Form: Present, Third, Singular, Atmanepada

• मानवः: a human (man)
• मानवः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानव
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• kukkuta (rooster)
• jambuka (jackal)
• mānava (human being)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Human life is precarious and can be shorter than that of animals; therefore one should act with dharmic urgency—cultivating virtue, restraint, and meaningful duties without procrastination.

What is happening in the narrative?

Yudhiṣṭhira reflects aloud on comparative lifespans (rooster, jackal, human) to emphasize the uncertainty of human longevity, setting a moral tone that supports instruction on right conduct and the wise use of time.