Para-dravya-apahāra — The Prohibition of Theft
Para-dravya-apahāra — taking, stealing, or misappropriating what belongs to another — is among the prohibited acts in the Śrī Vaiṣṇava ethical framework. As with other akṛtyas (forbidden acts), its prohibition has both extrinsic (social harm) and intrinsic (theological) dimensions.
At the theological core, the prohibition rests on the understanding that nothing is truly 'mine' in the ultimate sense — all wealth, possessions, and resources belong to Bhagavān and are distributed among jīvas as stewardship, not ownership. One who genuinely understands śeṣatva recognizes that every jīva holds its resources as a servant holds the master's goods — for use, not for hoarding or taking from others. Stealing another's resource is thus a double violation: it wrongs the immediate person, and it wrongs the deeper truth that all belongs to Bhagavān.
The Gītā (3.12) is direct: 'The devatās, being pleased by sacrifice, will bestow the desired goods on you. He who enjoys their gifts without offering them (in return) is indeed a thief.' The principle that unearned or dishonestly acquired prosperity is a form of theft is deeply embedded in the Vedic ethic.
Practically, the category extends beyond outright theft to include: misappropriation of temple funds, using another's material without acknowledgment, intellectual dishonesty (taking credit for another's work), and financial deception. The Āchārya tradition consistently connects honesty in material affairs with the inner cleanliness (antaḥ-śuddhi) required for genuine devotional life.
For a prapanna who has recognized everything as Bhagavān's, the very impulse to take what is another's becomes existentially foreign. The prapanna's security lies in Bhagavān's care — not in accumulated goods — and this divine security removes the anxiety that drives ordinary theft.