Shloka 24
The Deliverance of King Nṛga and the Warning Against Taking Brāhmaṇa Property
पूर्वं देवाशुभं भुञ्ज इति प्राह पतेति स: । तावदद्राक्षमात्मानं कृकलासं पतन् प्रभो ॥ २४ ॥
pūrvaṁ devāśubhaṁ bhuñja iti prāha pateti saḥ tāvad adrākṣam ātmānaṁ kṛkalāsaṁ patan prabho
I replied, “First, my lord, let me suffer the reactions of my sins,” and Yamarāja said, “Then fall!” At once I fell, and as I was falling I saw myself becoming a lizard, O Master.
FAQs
This verse depicts a person willingly accepting the inauspicious result (“let me suffer it first”), illustrating responsibility for karma and the inevitability of its reaction until divine grace intervenes.
He acknowledges higher authority and submits to the consequence of wrongdoing, showing humility and acceptance—an attitude that later becomes favorable for receiving deliverance.
Accept responsibility for the results of one’s actions without blame, cultivate humility, and seek divine guidance—transforming hardship into a step toward purification.