Shloka 42
कल्माषपाद-शाप-कारणम्
Cause of Kalmāṣapāda’s Niyoga under a Curse
ततस्तस्मिन् पुरे राष्ट्र त्यक्तदारपरिग्रहा: । परस्परममर्यादा: क्षुधार्ता जध्निरे जना:
tatastasmīn pure rāṣṭre tyaktadāraparigrahāḥ | parasparamamaryādāḥ kṣudhārtā jadhnire janāḥ ||
Entonces, en aquella ciudad y por todo el reino, los hombres—atormentados por el hambre—arrojaron lejos a sus esposas y los lazos del hogar. Abandonando todo límite aceptado de conducta, se volvieron unos contra otros, matándose y entregándose al saqueo. Así, la ciudad del rey se llenó de hombres consumidos por el ayuno y la inanición, como cadáveres vivientes; atestada de tales esqueletos humanos, parecía la morada de Yama, cercada por espíritus.
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
When extreme scarcity (hunger) overwhelms society, people may abandon family duties and the boundaries of maryādā (ethical restraint). The verse highlights how the erosion of dharma begins with the loss of self-control and social obligations, leading to mutual violence and a city that resembles a realm of death.
Vasiṣṭha describes a city and kingdom struck by severe hunger: people, desperate and unrestrained, abandon their households and turn on each other, killing one another. The population becomes emaciated and deathlike, making the city appear like Yama’s abode surrounded by spirits.