Adhyaya 15 — Karmic Retribution: Rebirths After Naraka and the King’s Compassion in Hell
निकृत्या कञ्चनं नृणां कार्पण्यं च नृणां वधः । यानि च प्रतिषिद्धानि तत्प्रवृत्तिश्च सन्तता ॥
nikṛtyā kañcanaṃ nṛṇāṃ kārpaṇyaṃ ca nṛṇāṃ vadhaḥ / yāni ca pratiṣiddhāni tat-pravṛttiś ca santatā
Tromper les gens pour leur prendre leur or, l’avarice mesquine, tuer des êtres humains, et quels que soient les actes interdits—avec, de surcroît, leur pratique continuelle—doivent être reconnus comme de graves fautes.
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Beyond single acts, the text highlights ‘santatā pravṛtti’—habitual persistence in wrongdoing—as especially damaging, implying that character formation is central to karmic outcome.
Ethical instruction; not pancalakṣaṇa content.
Repetition (santatā) indicates saṃskāra-building: sustained vice creates deep grooves in consciousness, making liberation-oriented disciplines progressively harder.