Adhyaya 74 — Battle with Mahishasura
राजोवाच किन्तु यावत्कृतं कर्म येनेमां योनिमागता । पतिव्रता धर्मपरा सा चेत्थं सथमीदृशी ॥
rājovāca kintu yāvat kṛtaṃ karma yenemāṃ yonim āgatā / pativratā dharmaparā sā cetthaṃ satham īdṛśī
రాజు అన్నాడు—ఆమె ఏ కర్మం చేసింది, దాని వల్ల ఈ యోనిలోకి వచ్చింది? ఆమె పతివ్రత, ధర్మపరాయణ అయితే, ఇలాగా ఎలా అయింది?
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Even a generally dharmic life can be undermined by a specific harmful act; the verse underscores scrutiny of particular actions (especially those causing harm) rather than relying on broad self-image or social status.
Didactic upākhyāna serving dharma instruction; not a cosmological section but a moral exemplum embedded in Purāṇic narration.
The ‘pativratā yet animal birth’ motif points to the subtlety of karma: outward virtue does not cancel unrepented cruelty; saṃskāras and specific violations can shape embodiment.