Shloka 18
Adhyaya 15 — Karmic Retribution: Rebirths After Naraka and the King’s Compassion in Hell
मत्स्यस्तु वायसः कूर्मः पुक्कसो जायते ततः ।
अशस्त्रं पुरुषं हत्वा नरः सञ्जायते खरः ॥
matsyas tu vāyasaḥ kūrmaḥ pukkaso jāyate tataḥ | aśastraṃ puruṣaṃ hatvā naraḥ sañjāyate kharaḥ ||
Danach wird er als Fisch, als Krähe, als Schildkröte und als pukkasa geboren. Wer einen unbewaffneten Mann tötet, wird als Esel geboren.
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FAQs
The text distinguishes especially blameworthy violence: killing one who is unarmed (and thus defenseless) is singled out for a humiliating rebirth. The donkey imagery suggests burden, servitude, and dull suffering—ethical inversion of the aggressor’s abuse of power.
Dharma-anuśāsana/karmaphala exposition; not sarga/pratisarga. It supports moral governance by specifying consequences for adharma.
To kill the defenseless is to violate the principle of protection (rakṣaṇa-dharma). The resulting ‘beast of burden’ form signifies loss of autonomy—an inner karmic logic where the violator of others’ safety forfeits his own freedom.