Shloka 18
Account of the Ripening of Karma
Childlessness, Offspring, and Remedial Dharma
पूर्वजन्मनि या नारी भ्रूणहत्यां च यो नरः । कुर्यात्सा मृतवत्सा च मृतवत्सो भवेद्ध्रुवम्
pūrvajanmani yā nārī bhrūṇahatyāṃ ca yo naraḥ | kuryātsā mṛtavatsā ca mṛtavatso bhaveddhruvam
جو عورت پچھلے جنم میں قتلِ جنین کا پاپ کرے، اور جو مرد بھی ایسا کرے، وہ یقیناً بالترتیب ایسی ہو جاتی ہے جس کے بچے مر جائیں اور ایسا ہو جاتا ہے جس کی اولاد مر جائے۔
Unspecified (narrative voice within Padma Purāṇa, Brahma-khaṇḍa)
Concept: Bhrūṇa-hatyā (destruction of an embryo) is a heavy sin whose karmic result manifests as repeated loss of children.
Application: Cultivate non-violence and responsibility toward dependents; seek atonement and ethical restraint; support compassionate care for mothers and children.
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A symbolic karmic vision: a darkened chamber where a grieving mother holds an extinguished cradle-lamp, while faint, translucent lotus-petals fall like tears. Behind her, a stern cosmic ledger motif—Yama’s shadow and a balance—suggests inexorable moral accounting rather than literal depiction.","primary_figures":["grieving mother","grieving father (optional)","Yama as symbolic shadow","Chitragupta as symbolic scribe (optional)"],"setting":"interior household space rendered allegorically with a cradle, fading garlands, and a distant cosmic backdrop","lighting_mood":"moonlit with heavy shadows","color_palette":["deep charcoal","cold silver","wilted lotus pink","dusky violet","pale ash"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: allegorical karmic scene—mother near a cradle with a dim lamp, Yama’s presence as a stylized shadow form; gold leaf used sparingly for the cosmic ledger and border, rich maroons and blacks, solemn iconographic restraint.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: poignant interior with delicate sorrowful expressions, cool moonlight, minimal props (cradle, lamp, garland); soft gradients and lyrical melancholy, restrained symbolism of fate in the background.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, expressive eyes filled with grief; Yama/Chitragupta motifs stylized on a mural-like backdrop, earthy reds and blacks, ritual solemnity.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: symbolic lotus-and-lamp composition—wilted lotuses around a cradle motif, dark blue ground with silver highlights; moral allegory conveyed through pattern, borders of thorny vines replacing floral joy."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["low drone","distant thunder","long pauses","soft weeping ambience (subtle)","temple bell muted"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: कुर्यात्सा = कुर्यात् + सा; भवेद्ध्रुवम् = भवेत् + ध्रुवम्
FAQs
It states a karmic consequence: committing bhrūṇahatya (killing an embryo) leads, in a later birth, to the sorrow of losing one’s offspring.
No. This line functions as an ethical-karmic assertion; it does not name a deity, sacred place, or expiatory rite in this verse.
That harmful actions—especially those involving taking life—are portrayed as producing corresponding suffering later, reinforcing moral restraint and accountability across births.