Karma, Preta-gati, and the Continuity of Phala
Mārkaṇḍeya’s Instruction
कृतकृत्या: पुनर्वर्णा यदि वृत्तं न विद्यते । संकरस्त्वत्र नागेन्द्र बलवान् प्रसमीक्षित:
kṛtakṛtyāḥ punarvarṇā yadi vṛttaṃ na vidyate | saṅkarastvatra nāgendra balavān prasamīkṣitaḥ ||
ユディシュティラは言った。「すべてがしかるべく成し遂げられた後でさえ、なお何が起こったのか明確な筋道が立たぬなら、ここで—おお蛇族の主よ—出来事と理解を歪めうる、混乱と混淆(サンカラ)という強大な要因を慎重に考察せねばならぬ。」
युधिछिर उवाच
Even when duties seem completed, one should not accept an unclear or missing account at face value; instead, one must investigate the causes of confusion (saṅkara) that can distort facts and judgment, and apply careful discernment.
Yudhiṣṭhira addresses a Nāga leader and reflects on the difficulty of establishing a clear account of events; he suggests that when the narrative is uncertain, the presence of powerful confusion or intermixture should be carefully examined.