Shloka 115
Puṣkara-Śapatha Itihāsa (Agastya–Indra Dispute at the Tīrthas) | पुष्कर-शपथ-आख्यानम्
शरणागतं हन्तु स वै स्वसुतां चोपजीवतु । अर्थान् कांक्षतु कीनाशाद् बिसस्तैन्यं करोति यः
śaraṇāgataṁ hantu sa vai svasutāṁ copajīvatu | arthān kāṅkṣatu kīnāśād bisastainyaṁ karoti yaḥ ||
婆悉吒说道：“凡杀害来投靠求庇护者，凡以出卖亲生女儿为生者，凡贪求并夺取农夫财物者，以及凡行盗窃如偷取莲茎纤维者——此人皆负重罪。”
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse condemns acts that violate dharma by exploiting vulnerability—especially harming a refuge-seeker, commodifying one’s own child for survival, and preying on a farmer’s livelihood. It frames such conduct as inherently sinful because it breaks the moral duty to protect and to earn without injustice.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Vasiṣṭha is presented as teaching ethical norms by listing representative wrongs—betraying refuge, immoral livelihood, and theft—so that listeners understand which behaviors are categorically blameworthy.