Adhyaya 14 — The Messenger of Yama Explains Karmic Retribution and the Causes of Naraka Torments
किं कर्म कृतवन्तश्च कथयैतज्जुगुप्सितम् ।
हरन्त्येषां तथा जिह्वां जायमानां पुनर्नवाम् ॥
kiṃ karma kṛtavantaś ca kathaya etaj jugupsitam / haranty eṣāṃ tathā jihvāṃ jāyamānāṃ punar-navām //
„Sage mir: Welche Tat haben sie begangen, dass dieses Widerwärtige geschieht? Ebenso werden ihnen die Zungen herausgerissen—obwohl sie immer wieder von neuem entstehen.“
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The verse highlights that harmful actions invite correspondingly targeted consequences; the mention of the tongue naturally evokes the moral weight of speech—truth, restraint, and non-harm.
Ethical instruction embedded in narrative; ancillary to pañcalakṣaṇa, functioning as dharma-śikṣā (moral pedagogy).
Tongue symbolizes vāṅmaya-karma (verbal action): slander, falsehood, and cruel speech ‘cut’ one’s own spiritual organ of expression, repeatedly, until purified by consequence.