Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 59
Ahiṃsā as Threefold Restraint (Mind–Speech–Action) and the Ethics of Consumption
गर्दभवत्वं तु सम्प्राप्प दश वर्षाणि जीवति । संवत्सरं तु कुम्भीरस्ततो जायेत मानव:,गदहेका शरीर पाकर वह दस वर्षोंतक जीवित रहता है। फिर एक सालतक घड़ियाल रहनेके बाद मानवयोनिमें उत्पन्न होता है
gardhabhatvaṁ tu samprāpya daśa varṣāṇi jīvati | saṁvatsaraṁ tu kumbhīras tato jāyeta mānavaḥ ||
玉提湿提罗说：“堕为驴身者，活十年；其后又作俱毗罗（kumbhīra，鳄类）一年，然后复得人身而生。”此言昭示业报之理：恶行可致卑贱之转生，然轮回亦容其终归人道，于是得以再行抉择，复求达摩（正法）。
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse conveys karmic moral causality: unethical actions can result in degrading, painful rebirths, yet the cycle is not permanent—after experiencing the consequences, one may return to human birth, where dharma and right conduct can be chosen again.
Yudhiṣṭhira is speaking within a discussion on dharma and the fruits of actions. He cites a sequence of rebirths—donkey for ten years, then kumbhīra for one year, then human birth—to illustrate how specific karmic outcomes unfold over time.