Srimad Bhagavatam — Saptama Skandha, Shloka 3
Nārada’s Protection of Kayādhu and Prahlāda’s Womb-Instructions: Ātma-tattva and the Path of Bhakti
पिपीलिकैरहिरिव दिष्टया लोकोपतापन: । पापेन पापोऽभक्षीति वदन्तो वासवादय: ॥ ३ ॥
pipīlikair ahir iva diṣṭyā lokopatāpanaḥ pāpena pāpo ’bhakṣīti vadanto vāsavādayaḥ
「ああ、まるで小さな蟻が蛇を食らうように、世を苦しめてきたヒラニヤカシプは自らの罪業の報いによって倒れたのだ。」こう言って、インドラら神々は悪魔たちと戦う備えを整えた。
FAQs
This verse states that a sinner can be “devoured by his own sin”—meaning suffering arises as the natural reaction to one’s wrongdoing, functioning like an inbuilt justice.
In the Prahlāda-related narrative, the devas often suffer under oppressive forces; here they express relief that the world’s oppressor is being checked by the consequences of his own actions.
Act with integrity and restraint, recognizing that harmful choices tend to return as suffering—while dharmic living reduces turmoil and supports inner peace.