Canto 2: Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa ()Chapter 36: Kaikeyī Forbids the King from Sending Wealth With RāmaText 2.36.25
Canto 2 -
Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa
Chapter 36: Kaikeyī Forbids the King from Sending Wealth With Rāma
Text 2.36.25
स फालपिटकं गृह्य गिरिदुर्गाण्यलोलयत्।
दिशः सर्वास्त्वनुचरन्स यथा पापकर्मकृत्॥
sa phāla-piṭakaṁ gṛhya giri-durgāṇy alolayat
diśaḥ sarvās tv anucaran sa yathā pāpa-karmakṛt
saḥ = he; phāla-piṭakam = a plough and a basket; gṛhya = carrying; giri-durgāṇi = mountains and rough lands; alolayat = dug through; diśaḥ = directions; sarvāḥ tu = in all; anucaran = went and; saḥ = a person; yathā = like; pāpa-karmakṛt = of sinful actions.
Carrying a plough and a basket, he went in all directions and dug through mountains and rough lands like a person of sinful actions.1
GLOSS. In the Ninth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, it is stated that Asamañjasa was [actually] innocent:
evaṁ vṛttaḥ parityaktaḥ pitrā sneham apohya vai
yogaiśvaryeṇa bālāṁs tān darśayitvā tato yayau
“Because Asamañjasa engaged in such abominable activities, his father gave up affection for him and had him exiled. Then Asamañjasa exhibited his mystic power by reviving the boys and showing them to the King and their parents. After this, Asamañjasa left Ayodhyā.”
ayodhyā-vāsinaḥ sarve bālakān punar āgatān
dṛṣṭvā visismire rājan rājā cāpy anvatapyata
“O King Parīkṣit, when all the inhabitants of Ayodhyā saw that their boys had come back to life, they were astounded, and King Sagara greatly lamented the absence of his son.”
So one might wonder how come Asamañjasa is described here as a person of sinful activities?
The answer is: No. Asamañjasa was perceived as being evil until he showed [and returned] the citizens’ children [alive and healthy]. Here, only those activities that he had engaged in [earlier] are referred to as sinful activities. It is not wrong to refrain from discussing later incidents.1