Shloka 13
Adhyāya 160: Dikpāla-Cosmography and the Sun’s Kālacakra (दिक्पाल-विश्ववर्णनम् तथा आदित्यस्य कालचक्रम्)
कि तस्य दुष्कृते5स्माभि: सम्प्राप्तव्यं भविष्यति । कि चास्य सुकृतेडस्माभि: प्राप्तव्यमिति शोभनम्,“कहते हैं, जब-जब अपने-अपने कुलमें पुत्र अथवा नातीका जन्म होता है, तब-तब पितृलोकमें रहनेवाले पितर शोकमग्न होते हैं और हँसते भी हैं। शोक तो उन्हें यह सोचकर होता है कि “क्या हमें इसके पापमें हिस्सा बँटाना पड़ेगा?” और हँसते इसलिये हैं कि “क्या हमें इसके पुण्यका कुछ भाग मिलेगा? यदि ऐसा हो तो बड़ी अच्छी बात है!
kiṁ tasya duṣkṛte ’smābhiḥ samprāptavyaṁ bhaviṣyati | kiṁ cāsya sukṛte ’smābhiḥ prāptavyam iti śobhanam ||
Vaiśampāyana disse: “‘Que parte, se alguma, nos caberá de seus maus atos? E que parte nos caberá de seus bons atos—quão esplêndido seria receber algo disso!’ Assim, os ancestrais que habitam o mundo dos Pitṛs entristecem-se e também se alegram sempre que nasce um filho ou um neto em sua linhagem.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Actions (karma) have consequences that extend beyond the individual: one’s conduct affects the moral and ritual standing of the family line, and the ancestors are imagined as concerned about inheriting demerit and hopeful of receiving merit through descendants’ deeds and rites.
Vaiśampāyana reports a traditional belief: when a child is born in a lineage, the Pitṛs in Pitṛloka react with mixed emotions—sorrow at the possibility of sharing in the descendant’s sins, and joy at the possibility of sharing in the descendant’s merits.