Shloka 123
Multi-form Manifestations, Indra–Kāma Incarnations, Pravāha, and the Twofold Buddhi
Sense-Discipline and Exclusive Refuge in Viṣṇu
यदा तदा यमदूतैश्च मूढ दीपैः सहस्रैर्दह्यमानश्च सम्यक् / निर्नासिका रेणुका मूढबुद्धे पलायिता कुत्र सा मे वदस्व
yadā tadā yamadūtaiśca mūḍha dīpaiḥ sahasrairdahyamānaśca samyak / nirnāsikā reṇukā mūḍhabuddhe palāyitā kutra sā me vadasva
مراراً وتكراراً يتم حرقه بالكامل من قبل رسل ياما بآلاف المصابيح المشتعلة. أيها الأحمق ذو العقل المخدوع، أخبرني: أين فرت رينوكا (Renuka) مقطوعة الأنف تلك؟
Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda/Vinata-putra in the Preta Kanda context of Yama’s punishments)
Afterlife Stage: Naraka
Concept: Papa yields repeated, precise retribution; delusion offers no hiding place.
Vedantic Theme: Avidyā-driven action leads to duḥkha; karmic law operates without partiality.
Application: Abandon harmful acts and self-deception; cultivate remorse and reform before consequences mature.
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: raudra
Type: torture-ground (implicit)
Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: fire-based torments; rhetorical questioning to stress inevitability
FAQs
This verse exemplifies karmic retribution: the Yamadutas administer consequence-based suffering, reinforcing that actions in life have precise results after death.
It places the deceased within Yama’s jurisdiction where messengers enforce karmic outcomes; the imagery of repeated burning indicates recurring, inescapable consequences for particular sins.
Live with restraint and accountability—avoid harmful acts and cultivate dharma—since the text frames unethical conduct as leading to severe post-death suffering.