Shloka 13
Karma, Preta-gati, and the Continuity of Phala
Mārkaṇḍeya’s Instruction
तदैश्वर्य समासाद्य दर्पो मामगमत् तदा । सहसं हि द्विजातीनामुवाह शिबिकां मम,तब उस ऐश्वर्यको पाकर मेरा अहंकार बढ़ गया। मैंने सहस्रों ब्राह्यगोंसे अपनी पालकी ढुलवायी। तदनन्तर ऐश्वर्यके मदसे उन्मत्त हो मैंने बहुत-से ब्राह्मगोंका अपमान किया। पृथ्वीपते! इससे कुपित हुए महर्षि अगस्त्यने मुझे इस अवस्थाको पहुँचा दिया। पाण्डुनन्दन नरेश! उन्हीं महात्मा अगस्त्यकी कृपासे आजतक मेरी स्मरणशक्ति मुझे छोड़ नहीं सकी है। (मेरी स्मृति ज्यों-की-त्यों बनी हुई है)
tad aiśvaryaṃ samāsādya darpo mām agamat tadā | sahasraṃ hi dvijātīnām uvāha śibikāṃ mama ||
The serpent said: “When I attained prosperity and power, pride seized me. Indeed, I had my palanquin carried by a thousand twice-born men (brāhmaṇas).”
सर्प उवाच
Educational Q&A
Prosperity (aiśvarya) can inflate pride (darpa); when power is used to demean the worthy—here, the dvijas—it becomes adharma and ripens into suffering. The verse frames arrogance as an inner downfall that begins the moment one treats others as instruments for one’s vanity.
The serpent narrates his former life: after gaining great wealth and status, he became arrogant and compelled large numbers of dvijas to carry his palanquin. This confession sets up the later explanation of how such misconduct led to his cursed condition and continuing memory.