Shloka 15
Śuka’s Manifestation from the Araṇi (Āraṇeya-janma) — शुकजन्म (आरणेय-सम्भव)
इहैव परिवर्तन्ते तिर्यग्योनिप्रवेशिन: । त्रीणि कल्पसहस्राणि एतेषामहरुच्यते
ihaiva parivartante tiryagyonipraveśinaḥ | trīṇi kalpasahasrāṇi eteṣām ahar ucyate ||
凡入畜生胎者，便在此世间反复轮转，不得出离。对这类众生而言，据说一“日”竟等同三千劫——此乃譬喻，旨在显示其系缚之期何等漫长而沉重，以及堕入非人境界所付出的严酷道德代价。
याज़्ञवल्क्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse warns that falling into subhuman (animal) births results in prolonged, repetitive bondage within saṃsāra. By describing their ‘day’ as lasting three thousand kalpas, it stresses the immense duration and difficulty of such a condition, urging ethical conduct that prevents such degradation and supports liberation-oriented living.
Yājñavalkya is instructing his listener(s) on the consequences of certain karmic trajectories. He describes the fate of beings who enter animal wombs: they continue cycling within worldly existence, and their experience of time is portrayed as extraordinarily extended, underscoring the seriousness of moral and spiritual decline.