Shloka 5

Devanagari script

विशस्य चैनं विधिवद्‌ वपामस्य जुहाव सः । वपायां हूयमानायां गन्धमाप्राय मातर:

Transliteration

viśasya cainaṁ vidhivad vapām asya juhāva saḥ | vapāyāṁ hūyamānāyāṁ gandham āprāya mātaraḥ ||

Translation

Lomaśa nói: Sau khi giết người ấy, ông theo đúng nghi thức mà dâng lớp mỡ bọc nội tạng (omentum) vào lửa thiêng. Khi phần ấy đang cháy trong lễ hiến, các bà mẹ ngửi thấy mùi, liền bị mùi ấy lôi kéo mà tiến lại gần—một khoảnh khắc rợn người, phơi bày ranh giới mong manh giữa nghi lễ được quy định và sự vượt phạm đạo lý khi nghi lễ bị buộc chặt với bạo lực.

Word by Word

विशस्यhaving entered

चand

एनम्him

विधिवत्according to rule, duly

वपाम्the omentum (sacrificial fat)

अस्यof him

जुहावoffered (into the fire), made an oblation

सःhe

वपायाम्in/with the omentum (as the oblation)

हूयमानायाम्while (it) was being offered

गन्धम्smell, fragrance

आप्they obtained, they perceived

प्रायःmostly, generally

मातरःmothers

Speaker

लोगमश उवाच

Characters & Entities

Lomaśa

vapā (caul/omentum)

sacrificial fire (implied by juhāva/hūyamānāyām)

mothers (mātaraḥ)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights a moral tension: ritual correctness (vidhivat) does not automatically sanctify an act if it is rooted in violence. It invites reflection on dharma as more than external procedure—ethical intention and the nature of the act matter.

What is happening in the narrative?

Lomaśa narrates that a man is killed and his vapā (caul/omentum) is offered into the fire as an oblation. As it burns, the ‘mothers’ sense the smell and move toward it, creating a vivid, ominous image tied to the sacrificial act.