Shloka 27

कूपे55त्मानमध:शीर्षमपश्यं पतितश्न ह | तिर्यग्योनिमनुप्राप्तं न च मामजहात्‌ स्मृति:,“कुएँमें गिरनेपर मैंने देखा, मुझे तिर्यग्योनि (गिरगिटकी देह) मिली है और मेरा सिर नीचेकी ओर है। इस योनिमें भी मेरी पूर्वजन्मोंकी स्मरणशक्तिने मेरा साथ नहीं छोड़ा है

kūpe ’tmānam adhaḥśīrṣam apaśyaṁ patitaś ca ha | tiryagyoniṁ anuprāptaṁ na ca mām ajahāt smṛtiḥ ||

Als ich in einen Brunnen fiel, sah ich mich kopfüber. Ich war in eine nichtmenschliche Geburt gelangt (in den Leib einer Eidechse), doch das Erinnerungsvermögen verließ mich selbst in diesem Zustand nicht.

कूपेin a well
कूपे:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootकूप
FormMasculine, Locative, Singular
आत्मानम्myself
आत्मानम्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootआत्मन्
FormMasculine, Accusative, Singular
अधःशीर्षम्with head downward
अधःशीर्षम्:
Karma
TypeAdjective
Rootअधः-शीर्ष
FormMasculine, Accusative, Singular
अपश्यम्I saw
अपश्यम्:
Karta
TypeVerb
Rootदृश्
FormImperfect (Laṅ), 1st, Singular, Parasmaipada
पतितःhaving fallen
पतितः:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootपतित
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
and
:
TypeIndeclinable
Root
indeed
:
TypeIndeclinable
Root
तिर्यग्योनिम्an animal birth (non-human womb)
तिर्यग्योनिम्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootतिर्यग्योनि
FormFeminine, Accusative, Singular
अनुप्राप्तम्having obtained/reached
अनुप्राप्तम्:
Karma
TypeAdjective
Rootअनु-प्राप्त
FormMasculine, Accusative, Singular
not
:
TypeIndeclinable
Root
and
:
TypeIndeclinable
Root
माम्me
माम्:
Karma
TypePronoun
Rootअहम्
FormAccusative, Singular
अजहात्abandoned/left
अजहात्:
TypeVerb
Rootहा
FormImperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada
स्मृतिःmemory
स्मृतिः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootस्मृति
FormFeminine, Nominative, Singular
स्मindeed/just (past emphasis)
स्म:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootस्म

ब्राह्मण उवाच

K
kūpa (well)
T
tiryagyoni (non-human birth, lizard-like body)
S
smṛti (memory)

Educational Q&A

Even when one falls into a degraded condition due to karma (tiryagyoni), moral awareness and memory can persist; this highlights accountability for actions and the possibility of inner awakening that supports a return to dharma.

A Brahmin narrator describes falling into a well and finding himself reborn/embodied in a non-human form with his head downward, yet retaining memory—setting up a reflection on how karma operates and how consciousness can endure across conditions.