Adhyaya 14 — The Messenger of Yama Explains Karmic Retribution and the Causes of Naraka Torments
यैः शास्त्रमन्यथा प्रोक्तं यैरसद्वागुदाहृता ।
वेददेवद्विजातीनां गुरोर्निन्दा च यैः कृता ॥
yaiḥ śāstram anyathā proktaṃ yair asad vāg udāhṛtā /
vedadevadvijātīnāṃ guror nindā ca yaiḥ kṛtā
シャーストラ(śāstra)に背いて教えを説いた者、虚偽の言葉を吐いた者、またヴェーダ・神々・二度生まれ(dvija)・師(グル)を誹謗した者—彼らのための刑罰が次に説かれる。
{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "bhayanaka", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
Speech that distorts dharma—mis-teaching, lying, and slander of sacred sources and teachers—damages social and spiritual order. The text treats such acts as especially destructive because they mislead many, not just oneself.
Ancillary dharma teaching; it supports Purāṇic function as smṛti-like moral instruction.
The ‘tongue’ becomes the karmic focal point: when vāṇī (speech) is weaponized against truth and guidance, the instrument of mantra and learning is inverted—hence a fitting retribution involving the tongue.