Adhyaya 15 — Karmic Retribution: Rebirths After Naraka and the King’s Compassion in Hell
क्षुत्पिपासाभवं दुःखं यच्च मूर्च्छाप्रदं महत् ।
एतेषां त्राणदानन्तु मन्ये स्वर्गसुखात् परम् ॥
kṣutpipāsābhavaṃ duḥkhaṃ yac ca mūrcchāpradaṃ mahat |
eteṣāṃ trāṇadānaṃ tu manye svargasukhāt param ||
O sofrimento nascido da fome e da sede, e aquele grande tormento que causa desfalecimento—ao conceder resgate aos seres afligidos por isso, considero-o superior até aos prazeres do céu.
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The verse elevates active compassion (protecting those in extreme suffering) above personal reward. It frames dharma not as a transaction for svarga, but as a commitment to relieve others’ duḥkha even at the cost of delaying one’s own heavenly enjoyment.
Primarily Dharma/ācāra material within a narrative setting; it is not directly sarga/pratisarga/vaṃśa/manvantara/vaṃśānucarita, but functions as ethical instruction embedded in vaṃśānucarita-style storytelling (exemplary conduct of a ruler).
Hunger and thirst symbolize existential lack; ‘fainting’ suggests collapse of egoic endurance. The teaching hints that transcending svarga-oriented desire occurs when one’s consciousness turns outward into universal empathy—an inner ‘ascent’ higher than heaven.