Shloka 18
Account of the Ripening of Karma
Childlessness, Offspring, and Remedial Dharma
पूर्वजन्मनि या नारी भ्रूणहत्यां च यो नरः । कुर्यात्सा मृतवत्सा च मृतवत्सो भवेद्ध्रुवम्
pūrvajanmani yā nārī bhrūṇahatyāṃ ca yo naraḥ | kuryātsā mṛtavatsā ca mṛtavatso bhaveddhruvam
前生において胎児殺しをなした女、またそれを行った男は、まことにそれぞれ、子を失う者となり、子が必ず夭折する。
Unspecified (narrative voice within Padma Purāṇa, Brahma-khaṇḍa)
Concept: Bhrūṇa-hatyā (destruction of an embryo) is a heavy sin whose karmic result manifests as repeated loss of children.
Application: Cultivate non-violence and responsibility toward dependents; seek atonement and ethical restraint; support compassionate care for mothers and children.
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A symbolic karmic vision: a darkened chamber where a grieving mother holds an extinguished cradle-lamp, while faint, translucent lotus-petals fall like tears. Behind her, a stern cosmic ledger motif—Yama’s shadow and a balance—suggests inexorable moral accounting rather than literal depiction.","primary_figures":["grieving mother","grieving father (optional)","Yama as symbolic shadow","Chitragupta as symbolic scribe (optional)"],"setting":"interior household space rendered allegorically with a cradle, fading garlands, and a distant cosmic backdrop","lighting_mood":"moonlit with heavy shadows","color_palette":["deep charcoal","cold silver","wilted lotus pink","dusky violet","pale ash"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: allegorical karmic scene—mother near a cradle with a dim lamp, Yama’s presence as a stylized shadow form; gold leaf used sparingly for the cosmic ledger and border, rich maroons and blacks, solemn iconographic restraint.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: poignant interior with delicate sorrowful expressions, cool moonlight, minimal props (cradle, lamp, garland); soft gradients and lyrical melancholy, restrained symbolism of fate in the background.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, expressive eyes filled with grief; Yama/Chitragupta motifs stylized on a mural-like backdrop, earthy reds and blacks, ritual solemnity.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: symbolic lotus-and-lamp composition—wilted lotuses around a cradle motif, dark blue ground with silver highlights; moral allegory conveyed through pattern, borders of thorny vines replacing floral joy."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["low drone","distant thunder","long pauses","soft weeping ambience (subtle)","temple bell muted"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: कुर्यात्सा = कुर्यात् + सा; भवेद्ध्रुवम् = भवेत् + ध्रुवम्
FAQs
It states a karmic consequence: committing bhrūṇahatya (killing an embryo) leads, in a later birth, to the sorrow of losing one’s offspring.
No. This line functions as an ethical-karmic assertion; it does not name a deity, sacred place, or expiatory rite in this verse.
That harmful actions—especially those involving taking life—are portrayed as producing corresponding suffering later, reinforcing moral restraint and accountability across births.