Shloka 33
Adhyaya 6 — Balarama’s Dilemma, Drunken Wanderings in Revata’s Grove, and the Slaying of the Suta
शरीरस्य च मे गन्धो लोहस्येवासुखावहः ।
आत्मानञ्चावगच्छामि ब्रह्मघ्नमिव कुत्सितम् ॥
śarīrasya ca me gandho lohasyevāsukhāvahaḥ /
ātmānañ cāvagacchāmi brahmaghnam iva kutsitam //
แม้กลิ่นกายของเราก็ชวนทุกข์ทน ดุจกลิ่นเหม็นของเหล็ก; และเรารู้สึกว่าตนต่ำช้า—ประหนึ่งผู้ฆ่าพราหมณ์
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FAQs
The verse depicts the psychological and even somatic (bodily) manifestation of adharma: guilt and inner pollution are expressed as a foul bodily odor and self-disgust. Ethically, it underscores that grave wrongdoing (symbolized by brahmahatyā, the paradigmatic mahāpātaka) damages one’s inner integrity; recognition of one’s fallen state is an initial step toward restraint, confession, and eventual expiation.
This verse is not directly a pañcalakṣaṇa unit (sarga, pratisarga, vaṃśa, manvantara, vaṃśānucarita). It belongs instead to the Purāṇic dharma/ācāra and narrative-ethical instruction layer that often accompanies or frames the core pañcalakṣaṇa materials.
“Iron-like odor” can be read symbolically as tamas and karmic heaviness: the self feels metallic—dense, cold, and burdened—rather than luminous (sattvic). “Brahma-slayer” functions as an archetype for the severance from sacred order (ṛta/dharma); the verse points to the inner ‘fall’ where the conscience recognizes separation from the sacred, which in turn becomes the impetus for purification and re-alignment.