Shloka 22
The Lord’s Advent: Yoga-māyā’s Mission, Saṅkarṣaṇa’s Transfer, and the Demigods’ Prayers
स एष जीवन् खलु सम्परेतोवर्तेत योऽत्यन्तनृशंसितेन । देहे मृते तं मनुजा: शपन्तिगन्ता तमोऽन्धं तनुमानिनो ध्रुवम् ॥ २२ ॥
sa eṣa jīvan khalu sampareto varteta yo ’tyanta-nṛśaṁsitena dehe mṛte taṁ manujāḥ śapanti gantā tamo ’ndhaṁ tanu-mānino dhruvam
One who lives in extreme cruelty is considered dead even while alive; whether living or after death, people condemn him. And one who identifies the self with the body is surely carried after death to the hell called Andhatama.
Kaṁsa considered that if he killed his sister, while living he would be condemned by everyone, and after death he would go to the darkest region of hellish life because of his cruelty. It is said that a cruel person like a butcher is advised not to live and not to die. While living, a cruel person creates a hellish condition for his next birth, and therefore he should not live; but he is also advised not to die, because after death he must go to the darkest region of hell. Thus in either circumstance he is condemned. Kaṁsa, therefore, having good sense about the science of the soul’s transmigration, deliberately refrained from killing Devakī.
FAQs
This verse states that one who lives by extreme cruelty is considered spiritually “dead” even while alive, and after death is cursed by people and goes to “blind darkness” due to bodily identification.
Because a life driven by ruthless harm destroys real human purpose—dharma and spiritual progress—so such a person is counted as dead in higher moral and spiritual terms.
Avoid harming others for gain, cultivate compassion and restraint, and reduce bodily ego; these choices protect one’s character, reputation, and spiritual direction.