Srimad Bhagavatam — Shashtha Skandha, Shloka 25
Diti’s Puṁsavana Vow, Indra’s Intervention, and the Birth of the Maruts
कृमिविड्भस्मसंज्ञासीद्यस्येशाभिहितस्य च । भूतध्रुक् तत्कृते स्वार्थं किं वेद निरयो यत: ॥ २५ ॥
kṛmi-viḍ-bhasma-saṁjñāsīd yasyeśābhihitasya ca bhūta-dhruk tat-kṛte svārthaṁ kiṁ veda nirayo yataḥ
When dead, the bodies of all the rulers known as kings and great leaders will be transformed into worms, stool or ashes. If one enviously kills others for the protection of such a body, does he actually know the true interest of life? Certainly he does not, for if one is envious of other entities, he surely goes to hell.
The material body, even if possessed by a great king, is ultimately transformed into stool, worms or ashes. When one is too attached to the bodily conception of life, he is certainly not very intelligent.
FAQs
This verse condemns the mentality of harming others and states that such cruelty blinds one to true self-interest, leading instead toward hellish consequences.
He uses stark imagery to show the degraded destiny and identity a soul may receive by the Lord’s judgment due to sinful, harmful actions—highlighting the karmic result of cruelty.
Avoid causing harm—physically, verbally, or mentally—and cultivate compassion and dharma, since cruelty ultimately damages one’s own spiritual welfare and peace.