Shloka 38
Account of the Ripening of Karma
Childlessness, Offspring, and Remedial Dharma
पूर्वजन्मनि यो मूढो ब्रह्मबालकघातकः । तस्य क्रूरो भवेत्पुत्रः सप्तजन्मांतरैर्द्विजः
pūrvajanmani yo mūḍho brahmabālakaghātakaḥ | tasya krūro bhavetputraḥ saptajanmāṃtarairdvijaḥ
Wahai brāhmaṇa, sesiapa yang dalam kelahiran terdahulu kerana kebodohan membunuh anak brāhmaṇa, setelah tujuh kelahiran berselang akan memperoleh seorang putera yang kejam, wahai dwija.
Unspecified (context needed to identify the dialogue pair within Brahma-khaṇḍa 4.5)
Concept: Brahma-hatyā (especially killing a brāhmaṇa child) bears delayed but severe karmic fruit, manifesting as cruel progeny after multiple births.
Application: Cultivate non-violence, protect children and the vulnerable, avoid harming spiritual communities; seek atonement (prāyaścitta), charity, and sincere bhakti to reform character.
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A shadowed karmic tableau shows a past-life act fading like a dark memory—an ominous silhouette of violence dissolving into mist—while in the foreground a stern, cruel-faced son stands beside a grieving parent. Above, a wheel of time with seven marked spokes suggests the long delay of karmic fruition.","primary_figures":["parent figure (former sinner)","cruel son (karmic fruit)","symbolic Kāla-chakra (wheel of time)","optional Yama’s presence as moral witness"],"setting":"twilight landscape blending dreamlike past-life vignette with present household scene; symbolic cosmic backdrop","lighting_mood":"moonlit","color_palette":["smoky indigo","ashen gray","bloodless maroon","pale moon-silver","dull ochre"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: moral allegory panel with a central Kāla-chakra in gold leaf, two registers—upper shadow-scene of past-life sin rendered in subdued tones, lower scene of a cruel son and sorrowful parent, ornate borders and symbolic motifs, gold accents used sparingly to heighten the didactic contrast.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: poetic yet unsettling karmic narrative—misty twilight, delicate linework for expressive faces, a subtle seven-spoked wheel motif in the sky, restrained palette, emotional focus on the parent’s remorse and the son’s harsh gaze.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlined allegory with stylized wheel of time, dramatic facial expressions, strong red/black contrasts, Yama-like figure as a side witness, temple-wall didactic composition emphasizing dharma and consequence.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: symbolic composition with a central circular time-wheel bordered by lotus motifs turned dark, narrative vignettes in medallions showing sin and consequence, deep indigo cloth ground with muted gold, intricate borders replacing pastoral joy with moral gravity."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Darbari","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["low drum pulse","wind hush","distant thunder","long pauses","single bell strike"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: भवेत्पुत्रः = भवेत् + पुत्रः। सप्तजन्मांतरैः = सप्त + जन्मान्तरैः (अनुस्वार-सन्धिः/लोपः)।
FAQs
It teaches karmic causality across rebirths: grave harm done in a prior life is said to mature later as suffering within one’s family line, here expressed as having a cruel son after a long interval of births.
The phrase highlights delayed fruition of karma—some results are not immediate but ripen after a prolonged sequence of rebirths, emphasizing the long reach of moral actions.
It warns against violence—especially toward the innocent and toward brāhmaṇas (a protected class in dharma literature)—and urges restraint, compassion, and adherence to dharma to avoid far-reaching consequences.