Shloka 7
Karma, Preta-gati, and the Continuity of Phala
Mārkaṇḍeya’s Instruction
व्रतमेतन्महाबाहो विषयं मम यो व्रजेत् स मे भक्षो भवेत् तात त्वं चापि विषये मम,महाबाहो! मेरा यह नियम है कि मेरी अधिकृत भूमिके भीतर जो भी आ जायगा, वह मेरा भक्ष्य बन जायगा। तात! इस समय तुम भी मेरे अधिकारकी सीमामें ही आ गये हो
vratam etan mahābāho viṣayaṁ mama yo vrajet sa me bhakṣo bhavet tāta tvaṁ cāpi viṣaye mama
大蛇は言った。「強き腕の者よ、これが我が誓願である。わが領分に入る者は、誰であれ我が食となる。子よ、お前もまた今、我が権威の境に踏み入ったのだ。」
सर्प उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension between a self-declared vow and broader dharma: mere entry into a territory is claimed as sufficient cause for harm. It invites reflection on whether power and jurisdiction alone can justify violence, and how vows can be misused when detached from compassion and righteousness.
A serpent addresses a hero, declaring a strict rule: anyone who comes within its territorial domain becomes its prey. The addressee is told that he has already crossed into that domain and is therefore subject to the serpent’s claim.