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Shloka 70

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

दुर्भिक्षे सम्भ्रमे वापि सोऽप्येवं यमकिङ्करैः ।

उत्कृत्य दत्तानि मुखे स्वमांसान्यश्नुते क्षुधा ॥

durbhikṣe sambhrame vāpi so 'pyevaṃ yamakiṅkaraiḥ / utkṛtya dattāni mukhe svamāṃsāny aśnute kṣudhā

قحط یا خوف کے زمانے میں یم کے دوت اس کے ساتھ بھی یہی کرتے ہیں—اس کا اپنا گوشت کاٹ کر اس کے منہ میں رکھ دیتے ہیں، اور وہ بھوک سے مجبور ہو کر وہی کھاتا ہے۔

durbhikṣein famine
durbhikṣe:
Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootdurbhikṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
FormNeuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन)
sambhramein panic/confusion
sambhrame:
Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootsambhrama (प्रातिपदिक)
FormMasculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन)
or
:
Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootvā (अव्यय)
FormConjunction/particle (निपात) — alternative
apialso/even
api:
Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootapi (अव्यय)
FormParticle (निपात) — ‘also/even’
saḥhe
saḥ:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Roottad (प्रातिपदिक)
FormMasculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); demonstrative pronoun
apieven
api:
Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootapi (अव्यय)
FormParticle (निपात) — emphasis
evaṃthus/in this way
evaṃ:
Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootevaṃ (अव्यय)
FormAdverb (क्रियाविशेषण)
yama-kiṅkaraiḥby Yama’s servants
yama-kiṅkaraiḥ:
Karaṇa (करण)
TypeNoun
Rootyama (प्रातिपदिक) + kiṅkara (प्रातिपदिक)
FormMasculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Plural (बहुवचन); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ‘यमस्य किङ्कराः’
utkṛtyahaving cut out
utkṛtya:
Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootut-kṛt (धातु)
FormAbsolutive (क्त्वान्त/ल्यप्), gerund (अव्ययभाव) from √kṛt ‘to cut’ with prefix ut-
dattānigiven/placed
dattāni:
Karma (कर्म) — कर्मविशेषणम्
TypeVerb
Rootdā (धातु)
FormPast passive participle (कर्मणि क्त), Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd), Plural (बहुवचन); agrees with ‘svamāṃsāni’
mukhein the mouth
mukhe:
Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootmukha (प्रातिपदिक)
FormNeuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन)
sva-māṃsānihis own flesh
sva-māṃsāni:
Karma (कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootsva (प्रातिपदिक) + māṃsa (प्रातिपदिक)
FormNeuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Plural (बहुवचन); कर्मधारय/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष-प्रायः ‘स्वं मांसम्’
aśnuteeats
aśnute:
Kriyā (क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootaś (धातु)
FormPresent tense (लट्), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)
kṣudhāfrom hunger
kṣudhā:
Hetu (हेतु)
TypeNoun
Rootkṣudh (प्रातिपदिक)
FormFeminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन); हेतौ/करणे प्रयोगः
Not specified in the provided excerpt (narrative voice describing punishments).

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

Yama
DharmaKarmaphalaNaraka (hell) imageryCruelty under crisisRetributive justice

FAQs

Adharma committed under ‘emergency’ is still adharma. The verse warns that panic or scarcity does not justify cruelty; karmic order mirrors the harm done, turning the agent into the victim.

Primarily didactic dharma/karmaphala material, not sarga/pratisarga/vaṃśa/manvantara/vaṃśānucarita directly—yet typical of Purāṇas’ ethical instruction.

Eating one’s own flesh symbolizes self-devouring desire: when one makes survival an absolute, the self consumes itself. The ‘Yama-servants’ figure the inevitability of consequence.