Varaha Purana 199.22: Adhyaya 199, Shloka 22

Description of the Torments of Rebirth: The Asipatravana Punishment and the Mechanics of Karmic Retribution

Devanagari script

दावाग्निसदृशाकारं प्रदीप्तं सर्वतोऽर्चिषा॥ तत्र क्षिप्त्वा ततः पापं यमदूतैः सुदारुणैः॥

Sanskrit recitationVaraha Purana 199.22

Transliteration

dāvāgni-sadṛśākāraṃ pradīptaṃ sarvato'rcīṣā || tatra kṣiptvā tataḥ pāpaṃ yamadūtaiḥ sudāruṇaiḥ ||

Translation

«إنه متّقدٌ كهيئة حريق الغابة، تشتعل من كل جانب ألسنةُ اللهب. وبعد أن يطرح رسلُ يَما القساةُ جدًّا الآثمَ هناك، (يمضون).»

Ask anything about this verse...Ask

Word by Word

• dāvāgni-sadṛśa-ākāram: having a form like a forest-fire
• dāvāgni-sadṛśa-ākāram: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dāvāgni (प्रातिपदिक) + sadṛśa (प्रातिपदिक) + ākāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: दावाग्निसदृशः आकारः यस्य/यत् (sadṛśa-ākāra) इति; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (विशेषणरूपेण)

• pradīptam: blazing / kindled
• pradīptam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-dīp (धातु) + kta (कृदन्त प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; धातु: √dīp (दीप्) with उपसर्ग pra-

• sarvataḥ: from all sides
• sarvataḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sarvataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, सर्वदिक्/सर्वतः (adverb: from all sides)

• arcīṣā: with flame / by flames
• arcīṣā: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: arcis (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (arcis), तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; वैदिक/काव्यप्रयोगे दीर्घ-ईषा-रूपम्

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक

• kṣiptvā: having thrown
• kṣiptvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṣip (धातु) + ktvā (कृदन्त प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive); धातु: √kṣip (क्षिप्) "to throw"

• tataḥ: then / thereafter
• tataḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, तदनन्तरं/तस्मात् (then/thereafter)

• pāpam: the sinner / the sinful one
• pāpam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• yama-dūtaiḥ: by Yama's messengers
• yama-dūtaiḥ: Karana (करण) / Karta (कर्ता) (agent in implied action)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yama (प्रातिपदिक) + dūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: यमस्य दूताः इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष; पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• su-dāruṇaiḥ: very dreadful
• su-dāruṇaiḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + dāruṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: सु + दारुण (उपपदपूर्वक कर्मधारय); पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन (agreeing with yama-dūtaiḥ)

Speaker

Pṛthivī (default dialogue framework)

Varaha Avatara Context

Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}

Bhu Devi Dialogue

Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"unyielding; emphasizing the institutional force of Yama’s order","key_question":"Who administers punishment, and how is the sinner delivered into the blazing torment?"}

Mathura Mandala

Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}

Dharma Shastra

Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"narakas","instruction_summary":"Yamadūtas, as executors of karmic law, cast sinners into all-surrounding flames like a forest-fire.","karmic_consequence":"Adharma leads to being seized and thrown into conflagration; dharma aligns one with protective order and avoids Yama’s coercion."}

Vrata Mahatmya

Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}

Cosmic Boar Symbolism

Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}

Philosophical Teaching

Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"cosmic governance (daṇḍa-nīti of Yama)","core_concept":"Moral order is administered through impersonal yet personified agents; karma ‘hands over’ the sinner to consequence.","practical_application":"Live with accountability; perform corrective acts early (repentance, restraint, charity) rather than relying on last-moment escape."}

Subject Matter

Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Afterlife/Naraka","Cosmology (punitive realms)"]

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: raudra

Geographic Context

Type: infernal fire-region

Cross References

Related Themes: Varaha Purana 199 (Yama’s agents in naraka narrative)

Visual Art Cues

Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A vast ring of flames like a wildfire; yamadūtas hurl a bound sinner into the fiery zone; sparks and tongues of flame surround from every side.","item_prompts":["forest-fire-like blaze","yamadūtas (fierce attendants)","bound sinner being thrown","sparks/embers","circular wall of flame"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: towering flame wall with stylized arcs; yamadūtas with exaggerated fierce features; strong red-orange dominance.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: flames as gilded motifs; central dramatic throw; ornate halos for agents (as iconographic emphasis) despite grim scene.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: balanced composition; detailed musculature of attendants; luminous flame rendering with subtle shading.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: compact narrative—attendants at cliff edge, fire below; crisp flame patterns; expressive terror on the sinner’s face."}

Audio Atmosphere

Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"judicial, intense","suggested_raga":"Shankarabharanam","pace":"medium-slow with crescendo on ‘yamadūtaiḥ sुदारुणैḥ’","voice_tone":"commanding, resonant"}

Tags

• Purāṇic Literature
• Yama and Yamadūtas
• Naraka Imagery

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

The verse aligns with pan-Purāṇic depictions of Yama’s agents and fiery punitive spaces, offering comparative material for the history of afterlife imagination in Sanskrit literature.

Which geographic location is identified?

No historical geography is identified; the imagery describes a mythic punitive environment.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

It reinforces the idea that harmful actions lead to severe consequences, dramatized through fire imagery and the agency of Yamadūtas.