Shloka 5
Somaka–Jantu Ākhyāna: Desire-Driven Sacrifice and Shared Karmic Consequence
विशस्य चैनं विधिवद् वपामस्य जुहाव सः । वपायां हूयमानायां गन्धमाप्राय मातर:
viśasya cainaṁ vidhivad vapām asya juhāva saḥ | vapāyāṁ hūyamānāyāṁ gandham āprāya mātaraḥ ||
Sinabi ni Lomaśa: Matapos siyang patayin, ayon sa tuntunin ay inihandog niya sa banal na apoy ang vapa—ang lamad na taba (omentum) ng taong iyon. Habang sinusunog ang vapa sa handog, naamoy iyon ng mga ina at nahila sila palapit ng amoy—isang nakakakilabot na sandali na naglalantad sa marupok na hangganan sa pagitan ng itinakdang ritwal at paglabag sa dangal ng moralidad kapag ang ritwal ay ikinabit sa karahasan.
लोगमश उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a moral tension: ritual correctness (vidhivat) does not automatically sanctify an act if it is rooted in violence. It invites reflection on dharma as more than external procedure—ethical intention and the nature of the act matter.
Lomaśa narrates that a man is killed and his vapā (caul/omentum) is offered into the fire as an oblation. As it burns, the ‘mothers’ sense the smell and move toward it, creating a vivid, ominous image tied to the sacrificial act.