Shloka 5
Somaka–Jantu Ākhyāna: Desire-Driven Sacrifice and Shared Karmic Consequence
विशस्य चैनं विधिवद् वपामस्य जुहाव सः । वपायां हूयमानायां गन्धमाप्राय मातर:
viśasya cainaṁ vidhivad vapām asya juhāva saḥ | vapāyāṁ hūyamānāyāṁ gandham āprāya mātaraḥ ||
Lomaśa sagte: Nachdem er ihn getötet hatte, opferte er ordnungsgemäß die vapa—das fetthaltige Netz (Omentum) jenes Mannes—in das heilige Feuer. Als die vapa in der Darbringung verbrannte, wurden die Mütter, vom Geruch erfasst, zu ihr hingezogen—ein verstörender Augenblick, der zeigt, wie brüchig die Grenze zwischen vorgeschriebenem Ritus und moralischer Verfehlung wird, wenn Ritual an Gewalt gekettet ist.
लोगमश उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a moral tension: ritual correctness (vidhivat) does not automatically sanctify an act if it is rooted in violence. It invites reflection on dharma as more than external procedure—ethical intention and the nature of the act matter.
Lomaśa narrates that a man is killed and his vapā (caul/omentum) is offered into the fire as an oblation. As it burns, the ‘mothers’ sense the smell and move toward it, creating a vivid, ominous image tied to the sacrificial act.