Shloka 5
The Account of Mohinī
Mohinī-upākhyāna
ब्रह्मदंडपराभूता संप्राप्ता नरकं नृप । तत्र धर्माज्ञया सा तु दूतैः संताडिता चिरम् ॥ ५ ॥
brahmadaṃḍaparābhūtā saṃprāptā narakaṃ nṛpa | tatra dharmājñayā sā tu dūtaiḥ saṃtāḍitā ciram || 5 ||
Accablée par le châtiment de Brahmā, elle parvint en enfer, ô roi. Là, sur l’ordre du Dharma, elle fut battue longtemps par les messagers.
Narada
Vrata: none
Rasa: {"primary_rasa":"bhayanaka","secondary_rasa":"raudra","emotional_journey":"From being overpowered by cosmic punishment (Brahma-daṇḍa) to prolonged beating under Dharma’s command, the verse sustains dread through inevitability and duration."}
FAQs
It emphasizes karmic retribution: when adharma ripens, one is overpowered by divine ordinance (Brahma-daṇḍa) and undergoes corrective suffering under Dharma’s governance.
Indirectly, it contrasts the painful fate born of wrongdoing with the protective refuge of dharma and devotion; Bhakti to Vishnu is traditionally presented in the Purana as a purifying path that prevents such downfall.
The verse reflects Dharmashastric reasoning (ethical-ritual law): actions yield results administered by Dharma; it supports practical conduct—restraint, truthful living, and atonement (prāyaścitta) to avoid pāpa-phala.