Shloka 20

The Glory of Lamp-Donation

in Kārttika

Devanagari script

सर्पेण दंशितश्चाखुः प्राणत्यागं चकार ह । ततो यमाज्ञया दूताः पाशमुद्गरपाणयः

Transliteration

sarpeṇa daṃśitaścākhuḥ prāṇatyāgaṃ cakāra ha | tato yamājñayā dūtāḥ pāśamudgarapāṇayaḥ

Translation

سانپ کے ڈسنے سے وہ چوہا جان سے گیا؛ پھر یم کے حکم سے اس کے قاصد، ہاتھوں میں پھندے اور گُرز لیے، نمودار ہوئے۔

Word by Word

• सर्पेण: by a snake
• सर्पेण: Karana (Agent-instrument in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• दंशितः: bitten
• दंशितः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दंश् (धातु) + क्त (प्रत्यय)
• Form: कर्मणि-क्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; आखुः इति कर्तृविशेषण

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-निपात

• आखुः: the mouse
• आखुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आखु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• प्राणत्यागम्: giving up of life
• प्राणत्यागम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राण (प्रातिपदिक) + त्याग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (प्राणानां त्यागः); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• चकार: did / performed
• चकार: Kriya (Main verb/मुख्यक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परस्मैपद), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परोक्षभूत/Perfect: 'did/made'

• ह: indeed
• ह: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ह (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• ततः: then
• ततः: Adhikarana (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: 'then/thereupon')

• यमाज्ञया: by Yama's order
• यमाज्ञया: Hetu (Cause/Authority/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यम (प्रातिपदिक) + आज्ञा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (यमस्य आज्ञा); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• दूताः: messengers
• दूताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• पाशमुद्गरपाणयः: having nooses and clubs in their hands
• पाशमुद्गरपाणयः: Karta (Qualifier of subject/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाश (प्रातिपदिक) + मुद्गर (प्रातिपदिक) + पाणि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुव्रीहि-समास (पाशौ मुद्गरौ च पाण्योः यस्य/येषाम्); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; दूताः इति विशेषण

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; specific dialogue speaker not identifiable from this single verse alone)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Geographic Context

Type: celestial_realm

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: दंशितश्चाखुः = दंशितः + च + आखुः; यमाज्ञया = यम + आज्ञया; पाशमुद्गरपाणयः is a बहुव्रीहि describing दूताः.

Characters & Entities

• Yama
• Yama-dūtas

FAQs

Who are the 'dūtas' mentioned in this verse?

They are Yama’s messengers (Yama-dūtas), traditionally depicted as agents who escort the departed soul according to Yama’s command and the being’s karmic outcome.

Why are the messengers described as holding a noose and a club?

The noose (pāśa) symbolizes restraint and capture—seizing the departing being—while the club (mudgara) conveys authority and enforcement, reflecting the inevitability of karmic judgment in Purāṇic imagery.

What ethical lesson is implied by the verse’s depiction of death and Yama’s command?

It underscores the inevitability of death and accountability: actions have consequences, and the post-death journey is portrayed as governed by moral order (dharma) administered through Yama.