Shloka 35

Devanagari script

नरकाणां स्वरूपं च दण्डः कर्मानुरूपतः स्वर्गिनारकिणां पुंसां चिह्नं जन्मान्तरेषु च

Transliteration

narakāṇāṃ svarūpaṃ ca daṇḍaḥ karmānurūpataḥ svarginārakiṇāṃ puṃsāṃ cihnaṃ janmāntareṣu ca

Translation

كما يشرح حقيقة الجحيمات وصورتها، والعقوبات التي تنشأ بدقّة وفقًا لكارما المرء؛ ويصف العلامات الفارقة التي يُعرَف بها في الولادات اللاحقة من مضى إلى السماء أو إلى الجحيم.

Word by Word

• नरकाणाम्: of the hells

• स्वरूपम्: nature, essential form

• च: and

• दण्डः: punishment, chastisement

• कर्म-अनुरूपतः: in conformity with karma, according to deeds

• स्वर्गिन्-नारकिणाम्: of those destined for heaven and of those destined for hell

• पुंसाम्: of persons/souls (pashus)

• चिह्नम्: sign, mark, indicator

• जन्म-अन्तरेषु: in other births, in subsequent incarnations

• च: and

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Linga Purana’s teaching on karmic retribution to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

What is the importance of this verse in the context of Linga worship?

It frames Shiva’s dharma as moral-causal law: the pashu’s bondage (pāśa) ripens as proportionate results, so Linga-worship and Shaiva discipline are presented as remedies that purify karma and redirect the soul toward liberation rather than naraka.

How does this verse describe the nature of Shiva (Shiva-tattva)?

Implicitly, Shiva-tattva is the governing Pati-principle under which karmas yield fitting fruits—punishment or reward—while the soul (pashu) remains accountable across births until it turns toward Shiva and is released from bondage.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

No single rite is named in this line, but it supports the Pashupata orientation: cultivate Shaiva sādhana (puja, japa, vrata, and yogic restraint) to exhaust karmic residues that otherwise manifest as naraka or as karmic ‘signs’ in rebirth.