Shloka 12
Indra’s Brahma-hatyā, Flight from Sin, and Purification by Aśvamedha
तां ददर्शानुधावन्तीं चाण्डालीमिव रूपिणीम् । जरया वेपमानाङ्गीं यक्ष्मग्रस्तामसृक्पटाम् ॥ १२ ॥ विकीर्य पलितान् केशांस्तिष्ठ तिष्ठेति भाषिणीम् । मीनगन्ध्यसुगन्धेन कुर्वतीं मार्गदूषणम् ॥ १३ ॥
tāṁ dadarśānudhāvantīṁ cāṇḍālīm iva rūpiṇīm jarayā vepamānāṅgīṁ yakṣma-grastām asṛk-paṭām
Indra sah die personifizierte sündhafte Reaktion, die ihn verfolgte und wie eine Caṇḍāla-Frau aussah. Sie schien sehr alt zu sein, und alle Glieder ihres Körpers zitterten. Da sie an Tuberkulose litt, waren ihr Körper und ihre Kleidung mit Blut bedeckt. Sie atmete einen unerträglichen Fischgeruch aus, der die ganze Straße verpestete, und rief Indra zu: „Warte! Warte!“
When a person is afflicted with tuberculosis, he often vomits blood, which makes his garments bloody.
FAQs
This verse depicts terrifying, decaying imagery chasing the sinner, illustrating how fear and suffering can arise at death due to sinful karma.
The text uses a stark comparison to convey extreme inauspiciousness, degradation, and dread—symbolizing the sinner’s karmic fate closing in.
Live with restraint and devotion—avoid actions that create future fear and suffering, and cultivate remembrance of the Lord to counter death-anxiety.