Shloka 36
Karma, Preta-gati, and the Continuity of Phala
Mārkaṇḍeya’s Instruction
कृतकृत्या: पुनर्वर्णा यदि वृत्तं न विद्यते । संकरस्त्वत्र नागेन्द्र बलवान् प्रसमीक्षित:
kṛtakṛtyāḥ punarvarṇā yadi vṛttaṃ na vidyate | saṅkarastvatra nāgendra balavān prasamīkṣitaḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira disse: “Se, depois de tudo ter sido devidamente realizado, ainda não houver um relato claro do que ocorreu, então aqui — ó senhor das serpentes — deve-se considerar com cuidado o poderoso fator da confusão e da mistura (saṅkara), que pode distorcer os fatos e o entendimento.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when duties seem completed, one should not accept an unclear or missing account at face value; instead, one must investigate the causes of confusion (saṅkara) that can distort facts and judgment, and apply careful discernment.
Yudhiṣṭhira addresses a Nāga leader and reflects on the difficulty of establishing a clear account of events; he suggests that when the narrative is uncertain, the presence of powerful confusion or intermixture should be carefully examined.