Shloka 2
Adhyāya 174: Karma as an inescapable companion (कर्मानुगमन-उपदेश)
ततः प्रज्वाल्य नृपतिर्बकराजं प्रतापवान् । प्रेतकार्याणि विधिवद् राक्षसेन्द्रश्नकार ह
tataḥ prajvālya nṛpatir bakarājaṃ pratāpavān | pretakāryāṇi vidhivad rākṣasendraś cakāra ha ||
Then the mighty king kindled the funeral fire for Bakarāja and duly performed the rites prescribed for the dead. Thus the lord of the rākṣasas carried out his friend’s cremation in accordance with proper custom—showing that even among fierce beings, loyalty and ritual duty are upheld when death has come.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharma expressed as fidelity to prescribed rites and obligations: even in grief or among fierce beings, one should perform funerary duties properly, honoring the dead and upholding social-ritual order.
After Bakarāja’s death, the powerful ruler (described as a rākṣasa-lord) lights the cremation fire and completes the funerary rites in the correct ritual manner.