Shloka 20
Secondary Creation Begins: Brahmā’s Productions, the Guṇas, and the Emergence of Orders of Beings
क्षुत्तृड्भ्यामुपसृष्टास्ते तं जग्धुमभिदुद्रुवु: । मा रक्षतैनं जक्षध्वमित्यूचु: क्षुत्तृडर्दिता: ॥ २० ॥
kṣut-tṛḍbhyām upasṛṣṭās te taṁ jagdhum abhidudruvuḥ mā rakṣatainaṁ jakṣadhvam ity ūcuḥ kṣut-tṛḍ-arditāḥ
Overpowered by hunger and thirst, they rushed from all sides to devour Brahmā, crying, “Do not spare him—eat him up!”
The representatives of the Yakṣas and Rākṣasas still exist in some countries of the world. It is understood that such uncivilized men take pleasure in killing their own grandfathers and holding a “love feast” by roasting the bodies.
FAQs
This verse shows hunger (kṣut) and thirst (tṛḍ) as overwhelming impulses that can drive beings to harmful acts, illustrating how material needs can dominate consciousness when not governed by dharma.
In the creation narrative of Canto 3, beings afflicted by hunger and thirst become aggressive and, in their delusion, urge one another to devour the very figure before them, revealing how uncontrolled urges distort moral sense.
Unchecked cravings can make people irrational and cruel; cultivating self-control, sattvic habits, and devotion helps one rise above compulsive drives and act with compassion and discernment.