Markandeya Purana — Adhyaya 15, Shloka 1
Adhyaya 15 — Karmic Retribution: Rebirths After Naraka and the King’s Compassion in Hell
इति श्रीमार्कण्डेयपुराणे जडोपाख्याने यमकिङ्करसंबादो नाम चतुर्दशोऽध्यायः ।
पञ्चदशोऽध्यायः
यमकिङ्कर उवाच ।
पतितात् प्रतिगृह्यार्थं खरयोनिṃ व्रजेद् द्विजः ।
नरकात् प्रतिमुक्तस्तु कृमिः पतितयाजकः ॥
iti śrīmārkaṇḍeyapurāṇe jaḍopākhyāne yamakiṅkarasaṃvādo nāma caturdaśo 'dhyāyaḥ /
pañcadaśo 'dhyāyaḥ /
yamakiṅkara uvāca /
patitāt pratigṛhyārthaṃ kharayoniṃ vrajed dvijaḥ /
narakāt pratimuktas tu kṛmiḥ patitayājakaḥ
至此，《圣摩迦ṇḍeya往世书》Jaḍopākhyāna 中第十四章《阎摩使者之对话》告终。第十五章开始。阎摩之使者曰：婆罗门若受堕落者（patita）之财，将入驴胎；若为堕落者主持祭祀（yajña），出离地狱之后，必生为虫。
{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "bhayanaka", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
FAQs
The verse warns against monetizing sacred office through association with those deemed ritually fallen. It frames priestly livelihood as ethically constrained, with consequences for compromising standards.
Ancillary dharma teaching; not directly sarga/pratisarga/manvantara/vaṃśa/vaṃśānucarita.
Donkey and worm symbolize burden-bearing and low, crawling existence—images of spiritual diminishment that mirror the degradation of discernment (viveka) when dharma is traded for gain.