Shloka 8
Nārada Instructs Prācīnabarhiṣat: The Purañjana Narrative Begins
City of Nine Gates
एते त्वां सम्प्रतीक्षन्ते स्मरन्तो वैशसं तव । सम्परेतम् अय:कूटैश्छिन्दन्त्युत्थितमन्यव: ॥ ८ ॥
ete tvāṁ sampratīkṣante smaranto vaiśasaṁ tava samparetam ayaḥ-kūṭaiś chindanty utthita-manyavaḥ
Todos esses animais aguardam a tua morte, lembrando-se da violência que lhes causaste. Depois que morreres, enfurecidos, perfurarão teu corpo com chifres de ferro.
Nārada Muni wanted to draw King Prācīnabarhiṣat’s attention to the excesses of killing animals in sacrifices. It is said in the śāstras that by killing animals in a sacrifice, one immediately promotes them to human birth. Similarly, by killing their enemies on a battlefield, the kṣatriyas who fight for a right cause are elevated to the heavenly planets after death. In Manu-saṁhitā it is stated that it is necessary for a king to execute a murderer so that the murderer will not suffer for his criminal actions in his next life. On the basis of such understanding, Nārada Muni warns the King that the animals killed in sacrifices by the King await him at his death in order to avenge themselves. Nārada Muni is not contradicting himself here. Nārada Muni wanted to convince the King that overindulgence in animal sacrifice is risky because as soon as there is a small discrepancy in the execution of such a sacrifice, the slaughtered animal may not be promoted to a human form of life. Consequently, the person performing sacrifice will be responsible for the death of the animal, just as much as a murderer is responsible for killing another man. When animals are killed in a slaughterhouse, six people connected with the killing are responsible for the murder. The person who gives permission for the killing, the person who kills, the person who helps, the person who purchases the meat, the person who cooks the flesh and the person who eats it, all become entangled in the killing. Nārada Muni wanted to draw the King’s attention to this fact. Thus animal killing is not encouraged even in a sacrifice.
FAQs
This verse states that remembered violence returns as retaliation—those harmed wait for an opportunity, and the doer of cruelty eventually faces painful reactions.
In the Purañjana allegory, the warning highlights how past harmful actions create future enemies and fear—illustrating karmic reaction and the danger of living under ignorance and aggression.
Avoid harming others in thought, word, and deed; unresolved cruelty breeds conflict and backlash, while compassion and restraint reduce future suffering and anxiety.