Shloka 27
Go-apahāra (Cattle Theft), Go-dāna (Cow-Gift), and Suvarṇa-dakṣiṇā (Gold Fee): Karmic Consequence and Purificatory Merit
कूपे55त्मानमध:शीर्षमपश्यं पतितश्न ह | तिर्यग्योनिमनुप्राप्तं न च मामजहात् स्मृति:
kūpe ’tmānam adhaḥśīrṣam apaśyaṁ patitaś ca ha | tiryagyoniṁ anuprāptaṁ na ca mām ajahāt smṛtiḥ ||
Khi rơi xuống giếng, ta thấy mình đầu chúc xuống. Ta đã thọ một thân phi nhân (thân thằn lằn), nhưng ký ức vẫn không rời bỏ ta, ngay cả trong cảnh ấy.
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when one falls into a degraded condition due to karma (tiryagyoni), moral awareness and memory can persist; this highlights accountability for actions and the possibility of inner awakening that supports a return to dharma.
A Brahmin narrator describes falling into a well and finding himself reborn/embodied in a non-human form with his head downward, yet retaining memory—setting up a reflection on how karma operates and how consciousness can endure across conditions.