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 ||
やがてその都と国中では、人々は飢えに責められて妻や家の絆を投げ捨てた。あらゆる規範の限りを踏み越え、互いに襲い合い、殺し合い、略奪に沈んだ。こうして王の都は、断食と飢餓でやせ衰えた男たち—生ける屍のような者—で満ち、かかる人骨の群れに埋め尽くされたその都は、亡霊に取り囲まれた閻魔の住処のごとく見えた。
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.