Shloka 72

Adhyaya 14 — The Messenger of Yama Explains Karmic Retribution and the Causes of Naraka Torments

Sanskrit

सुकृतं ये प्रयच्छन्ति यावज्जन्म कृतं नराः ।

ते पिष्यन्ते शिलापेषैर्यथैते पापकर्मिणः ॥

Transliteration

sukṛtaṃ ye prayacchanti yāvajjanma kṛtaṃ narāḥ / te piṣyante śilāpeṣair yathaite pāpakarmiṇaḥ

Translation

ผู้ที่ตลอดชีวิตไม่ตอบแทนหรือแม้แต่ยอมรับคุณความดีที่ตนได้รับ ย่อมถูกบดด้วยเครื่องโม่หิน—ดังเช่นเหล่าผู้กระทำชั่วเหล่านี้।

Word by Word

• sukṛtam: good deed/merit
• sukṛtam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: su-kṛta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); कर्मधारयः ‘सु कृतम्’

• ye: who (those who)
• ye: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); relative pronoun

• prayacchanti: give/bestow
• prayacchanti: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-yam (धातु)
• Form: Present tense (लट्), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Plural (बहुवचन)

• yāvat-janma: throughout life
• yāvat-janma: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yāvat (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + janman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समासः; adverbial ‘as long as (one’s) life’

• kṛtam: done
• kṛtam: Karma (कर्म) — कर्मविशेषणम्
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (कर्मणि क्त), Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); agrees with sukṛtam (object)

• narāḥ: men
• narāḥ: Karta (कर्ता) — apposition to ye
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

• te: they
• te: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); demonstrative pronoun

• piṣyante: are crushed/ground
• piṣyante: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: piṣ (धातु)
• Form: Present tense (लट्), Passive voice (कर्मणि), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Plural (बहुवचन)

• śilā-peṣaiḥ: by stone-grinders (stone-mills)
• śilā-peṣaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śilā (प्रातिपदिक) + peṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Plural (बहुवचन); तत्पुरुषः—‘शिलायाः/शिलाभिः पेṣाः’ i.e., stone-grinders

• yathā: as/like
• yathā: Upamāna-dyotaka (उपमान-द्योतक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb/conjunction (अव्यय) — comparison

• ete: these
• ete: Karta (कर्ता) — of implied comparison
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

• pāpa-karmiṇaḥ: evil-doers/sinners
• pāpa-karmiṇaḥ: Karta (कर्ता) — in comparison
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); तत्पुरुषः—‘पापं कर्म येषां ते’ (बहुव्रीहि-प्रायार्थः, रूपतः तत्पुरुष-समास)

Speakers

• Not specified in the provided excerpt.

Verse Rasa

{ "primaryRasa": "bhayanaka", "secondaryRasa": "dharma", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

Key Themes

• Dharma
• Gratitude and reciprocity
• Karmaphala
• Naraka (hell) imagery

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Receiving benefit creates an obligation of gratitude (kṛtajñatā). Denying or withholding repayment—materially or ethically—hardens the heart and is treated as a punishable moral failure.

How does this fit the Pancalakṣaṇa (5 characteristics)?

Didactic dharma/karmaphala content; not directly sarga/pratisarga/vaṃśa/manvantara/vaṃśānucarita.

What is the esoteric significance?

Being ‘ground by stones’ images the grinding down of one’s inner integrity when one lives by taking without returning—reciprocity is a sustaining cosmic principle (ṛta/dharma).