Shloka 70

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

Sanskrit

दुर्भिक्षे सम्भ्रमे वापि सोऽप्येवं यमकिङ्करैः ।

उत्कृत्य दत्तानि मुखे स्वमांसान्यश्नुते क्षुधा ॥

Transliteration

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

Translation

ଦୁର୍ଭିକ୍ଷ କିମ୍ବା ଭୟକାଳରେ ଯମଦୂତମାନେ ତାକୁ ମଧ୍ୟ ଏଭଳି ଦଣ୍ଡ ଦିଅନ୍ତି—ତାହାର ନିଜ ମାଂସ କାଟି ମୁହଁରେ ରଖନ୍ତି; ସେ କ୍ଷୁଧାର୍ତ୍ତ ହୋଇ ସେହିଟି ଖାଏ।

Word by Word

• durbhikṣe: in famine
• durbhikṣe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: durbhikṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन)

• sambhrame: in panic/confusion
• sambhrame: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sambhrama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन)

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction/particle (निपात) — alternative

• api: also/even
• api: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात) — ‘also/even’

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); demonstrative pronoun

• api: even
• api: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात) — emphasis

• evaṃ: thus/in this way
• evaṃ: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evaṃ (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण)

• yama-kiṅkaraiḥ: by Yama’s servants
• yama-kiṅkaraiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yama (प्रातिपदिक) + kiṅkara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Plural (बहुवचन); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ‘यमस्य किङ्कराः’

• utkṛtya: having cut out
• utkṛtya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ut-kṛt (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive (क्त्वान्त/ल्यप्), gerund (अव्ययभाव) from √kṛt ‘to cut’ with prefix ut-

• dattāni: given/placed
• dattāni: Karma (कर्म) — कर्मविशेषणम्
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (कर्मणि क्त), Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd), Plural (बहुवचन); agrees with ‘svamāṃsāni’

• mukhe: in the mouth
• mukhe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन)

• sva-māṃsāni: his own flesh
• sva-māṃsāni: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक) + māṃsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Plural (बहुवचन); कर्मधारय/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष-प्रायः ‘स्वं मांसम्’

• aśnute: eats
• aśnute: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: aś (धातु)
• Form: Present tense (लट्), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• kṣudhā: from hunger
• kṣudhā: Hetu (हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣudh (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन); हेतौ/करणे प्रयोगः

Speakers

• Not specified in the provided excerpt (narrative voice describing punishments).

Verse Rasa

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

Primary Deities

• Yama

Key Themes

• Dharma
• Karmaphala
• Naraka (hell) imagery
• Cruelty under crisis
• Retributive justice

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

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.

How does this fit the Pancalakṣaṇa (5 characteristics)?

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

What is the esoteric significance?

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.