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Shloka 70

Adhyaya 14The Messenger of Yama Explains Karmic Retribution and the Causes of Naraka Torments

दुर्भिक्षे सम्भ्रमे वापि सोऽप्येवं यमकिङ्करैः ।

उत्कृत्य दत्तानि मुखे स्वमांसान्यश्नुते क्षुधा ॥

durbhikṣe sambhrame vāpi so 'pyevaṃ yamakiṅkaraiḥ / utkṛtya dattāni mukhe svamāṃsāny aśnute kṣudhā

ദുര്ഭിക്ഷത്തിലോ ഭയകാലത്തിലോ യമദൂതന്മാർ അവനോടും അങ്ങനെ തന്നെ ചെയ്യുന്നു—അവന്റെ സ്വന്തം മാംസം മുറിച്ച് വായിൽ ഇടുന്നു; വിശപ്പാൽ പീഡിതനായി അവൻ അതേ തിന്നുന്നു।

durbhikṣein famine
durbhikṣe:
Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootdurbhikṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
FormNeuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन)
sambhramein panic/confusion
sambhrame:
Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootsambhrama (प्रातिपदिक)
FormMasculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन)
or
:
Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootvā (अव्यय)
FormConjunction/particle (निपात) — alternative
apialso/even
api:
Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootapi (अव्यय)
FormParticle (निपात) — ‘also/even’
saḥhe
saḥ:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Roottad (प्रातिपदिक)
FormMasculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); demonstrative pronoun
apieven
api:
Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootapi (अव्यय)
FormParticle (निपात) — emphasis
evaṃthus/in this way
evaṃ:
Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootevaṃ (अव्यय)
FormAdverb (क्रियाविशेषण)
yama-kiṅkaraiḥby Yama’s servants
yama-kiṅkaraiḥ:
Karaṇa (करण)
TypeNoun
Rootyama (प्रातिपदिक) + kiṅkara (प्रातिपदिक)
FormMasculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Plural (बहुवचन); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ‘यमस्य किङ्कराः’
utkṛtyahaving cut out
utkṛtya:
Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootut-kṛt (धातु)
FormAbsolutive (क्त्वान्त/ल्यप्), gerund (अव्ययभाव) from √kṛt ‘to cut’ with prefix ut-
dattānigiven/placed
dattāni:
Karma (कर्म) — कर्मविशेषणम्
TypeVerb
Rootdā (धातु)
FormPast passive participle (कर्मणि क्त), Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd), Plural (बहुवचन); agrees with ‘svamāṃsāni’
mukhein the mouth
mukhe:
Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootmukha (प्रातिपदिक)
FormNeuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन)
sva-māṃsānihis own flesh
sva-māṃsāni:
Karma (कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootsva (प्रातिपदिक) + māṃsa (प्रातिपदिक)
FormNeuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Plural (बहुवचन); कर्मधारय/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष-प्रायः ‘स्वं मांसम्’
aśnuteeats
aśnute:
Kriyā (क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootaś (धातु)
FormPresent tense (लट्), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)
kṣudhāfrom hunger
kṣudhā:
Hetu (हेतु)
TypeNoun
Rootkṣudh (प्रातिपदिक)
FormFeminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन); हेतौ/करणे प्रयोगः
Not specified in the provided excerpt (narrative voice describing punishments).

{ "primaryRasa": "bhayanaka", "secondaryRasa": "raudra", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

Yama
DharmaKarmaphalaNaraka (hell) imageryCruelty under crisisRetributive justice

FAQs

Adharma committed under ‘emergency’ is still adharma. The verse warns that panic or scarcity does not justify cruelty; karmic order mirrors the harm done, turning the agent into the victim.

Primarily didactic dharma/karmaphala material, not sarga/pratisarga/vaṃśa/manvantara/vaṃśānucarita directly—yet typical of Purāṇas’ ethical instruction.

Eating one’s own flesh symbolizes self-devouring desire: when one makes survival an absolute, the self consumes itself. The ‘Yama-servants’ figure the inevitability of consequence.