Shloka 30
Go-apahāra (Cattle Theft), Go-dāna (Cow-Gift), and Suvarṇa-dakṣiṇā (Gold Fee): Karmic Consequence and Purificatory Merit
ततस्तस्मिन् दिवं याते नृगे भरतसत्तम । वासुदेव इमं श्लोक॑ जगाद कुरुनन्दन,भरतश्रेष्ठ) कुरुनन्दन! राजा नृगके स्वर्गलोकको चले जानेपर वसुदेवनन्दन भगवान् श्रीकृष्णने इस श्लोकका गान किया--
tatas tasmin divaṃ yāte nṛge bharatasattama | vāsudeva imaṃ ślokaṃ jagāda kurunandana ||
Then, O best of the Bharatas, when King Nṛga had departed to heaven, Vāsudeva (Śrī Kṛṣṇa) spoke this verse, O delight of the Kurus. The narrative frames Kṛṣṇa’s forthcoming statement as a moral reflection prompted by Nṛga’s posthumous fate—highlighting how the consequences of one’s actions follow the soul beyond death and how dharma must be practiced with careful discernment.
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse functions as a narrative hinge: Nṛga’s ascent to heaven becomes the occasion for Kṛṣṇa’s ethical instruction, underscoring that actions (karma) bear results that extend beyond death and that dharma requires vigilance and precision, especially for rulers and householders.
After King Nṛga departs to heaven, the text reports that Śrī Kṛṣṇa (Vāsudeva) addresses his listener—hailed as ‘best of the Bharatas’ and ‘delight of the Kurus’—and introduces a verse he is about to recite, setting up a didactic conclusion to the episode.