Adhyaya 15 — Karmic Retribution: Rebirths After Naraka and the King’s Compassion in Hell
हृते कांस्ये च हारीतः कपोतो रूप्यभाजने ।
हृत्वा तु काञ्चनं भाण्डं कृमियोनौ प्रजायते ॥
hṛte kāṃsye ca hārītaḥ kapoto rupyabhājane | hṛtvā tu kāñcanaṃ bhāṇḍaṃ kṛmiyonau prajāyate
कांसहरः हारितयोनौ जायते; रजतपात्रहरः कपोतत्वं प्राप्नोति। सुवर्णपात्रहरस्तु कृमियोनौ गर्भे जायते।
{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "bhayanaka", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
The more “refined/valuable” the object (especially gold), the more degrading the stated rebirth. The passage warns against greed and the breach of trust surrounding household and ritual goods.
Ancillary dharma/karma-vipāka instruction rather than pañcalakṣaṇa narrative structure.
Metals and vessels symbolize containment and value; stealing them reflects inner emptiness and mis-valuation. Worm-birth suggests consciousness trapped in decay and consumption—an inversion of gold’s purity symbolism.