Shloka 16

Yoga-māyā Appears as Durgā; Kaṁsa’s Repentance and the Demonic Policy of Persecuting Vaiṣṇavas

Devanagari script

स त्वहं त्यक्तकारुण्यस्त्यक्तज्ञातिसुहृत् खल: । कान्लोकान् वै गमिष्यामि ब्रह्महेव मृत: श्वसन् ॥ १६ ॥

Transliteration

sa tv ahaṁ tyakta-kāruṇyas tyakta-jñāti-suhṛt khalaḥ kān lokān vai gamiṣyāmi brahma-heva mṛtaḥ śvasan

Translation

Vốn tàn nhẫn và độc ác, tôi đã ruồng bỏ tất cả người thân và bạn bè. Vì vậy, giống như kẻ đã giết một người Bà-la-môn, tôi không biết mình sẽ đi về đâu, dù là sau khi chết hay khi còn đang thở.

Synonyms

• saḥ: he/that (I)
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Discourse connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle/conjunction (विरोध/अन्वयबोधक अव्यय)

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Nominative, Singular

• tyakta-kāruṇyaḥ: having abandoned compassion
• tyakta-kāruṇyaḥ: Karta-anvayi Visheshana (कर्तृसम्बन्धि विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tyakta (कृदन्त, from √tyaj धातु) + kāruṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; ‘one who has abandoned compassion’ (कृपां त्यक्तः)

• tyakta-jñāti-suhṛt: one who has forsaken kinsmen and friends
• tyakta-jñāti-suhṛt: Karta-anvayi Visheshana (कर्तृसम्बन्धि विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tyakta (कृदन्त, √tyaj) + jñāti (प्रातिपदिक) + suhṛt (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; dvandva inside (jñāti+suhṛt = kinsmen and friends), governed by tyakta ‘abandoned’

• khalaḥ: a wicked man
• khalaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Appositional subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: khala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; apposition to aham

• kān: which? what kind of?
• kān: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd), Plural; interrogative adjective qualifying lokān

• lokān: worlds/realms
• lokān: Karma (कर्म/Object of gamiṣyāmi)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• vai: indeed
• vai: Bhava-suchaka (भावसूचक/Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: Emphatic particle (निश्चय/खलु-अर्थक अव्यय)

• gamiṣyāmi: I will go
• gamiṣyāmi: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gam (धातु)
• Form: Future (लृट्), 1st person (उत्तमपुरुष), Singular, Parasmaipada

• brahma-hā: a brahmin-slayer
• brahma-hā: Upamana (उपमान/Standard in comparison with iva)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक) + han (प्रातिपदिक/agent noun from √han)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; ‘slayer of a brāhmaṇa’

• iva: like
• iva: Upama-suchaka (उपमासूचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iva (अव्यय)
• Form: Simile particle (उपमावाचक)

• mṛtaḥ: dead
• mṛtaḥ: Karta-anvayi Visheshana (कर्तृसम्बन्धि विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mṛta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक) from √mṛ (धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Masculine, Nominative, Singular; predicate to aham

• śvasan: breathing (still alive)
• śvasan: Karta-anvayi Visheshana (कर्तृसम्बन्धि विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √śvas (धातु) → śvasant (शतृ/वर्तमान कृदन्त)
• Form: Present active participle (शतृ), Masculine, Nominative, Singular; ‘breathing’ (i.e., living)

Characters & Entities

• Kaṁsa
• Devakī
• Vasudeva

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about the results of severe sin like brahma-hatya?

This verse compares Kaṁsa’s condition to that of a brahma-killer—one whose sin is so grave that even while alive he feels spiritually “dead,” fearing the dire destinations that karma can bring.

Why did Kaṁsa say he was like a brahma-killer?

After committing cruel acts against his own relatives and well-wishers, Kaṁsa is struck by remorse and recognizes his actions as extremely sinful, likening their consequence to the dreaded reaction of brahma-hatya.

How can this shloka be applied in modern life?

It warns that abandoning compassion and harming those who care for us destroys inner peace; cultivating mercy, repentance, and dharmic conduct prevents the “living death” of guilt and fear.