Shloka 28

Post-cremation Ripening of Karma and the Principal Narakas

Devanagari script

दुः खस्य हेतुभूतानि पापकर्मकृतां नृणाम् / चक्रेष्वारोपिताः केचिद्भाम्यन्ते तत्र मानवाः

Transliteration

duḥ khasya hetubhūtāni pāpakarmakṛtāṃ nṛṇām / cakreṣvāropitāḥ kecidbhāmyante tatra mānavāḥ

Translation

Dort werden manche Menschen, die sündhafte Taten begangen haben, welche die Ursache ihres Leidens sind, auf Räder gebunden und herumgewirbelt.

Word by Word

• दुःखस्य: of suffering
• दुःखस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुःख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• हेतुभूतानि: having become causes; causal
• हेतुभूतानि: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हेतु (प्रातिपदिक) + भू (धातु) → भूत (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle) ‘भूत’

• पापकर्मकृताम्: of those who have done sinful deeds
• पापकर्मकृताम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + कर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + कृ (धातु) → कृत (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; ‘पापकर्म’ इति तत्पुरुषसमास + ‘कृत’ (क्त)

• नृणाम्: of men
• नृणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• चक्रेषु: on/among wheels
• चक्रेषु: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चक्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), बहुवचन

• आरोपिताः: mounted; placed upon
• आरोपिताः: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ + रुह् (धातु) → आरोपित (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त

• केचित्: some
• केचित्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; अनिश्चितवाचक सर्वनाम

• भ्राम्यन्ते: they whirl/are made to revolve
• भ्राम्यन्ते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भ्रम् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Desha-adhikarana (Place adverbial/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; स्थानवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• मानवाः: humans
• मानवाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Naraka

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Pāpa itself becomes the direct cause (hetu) of duḥkha; suffering is karmically self-generated and inescapable until exhausted.

Vedantic Theme: Karma-bandha and its phala; moral causality within saṃsāra (adhyāropa of agency leading to bondage).

Application: Avoid harmful actions; cultivate restraint and repentance early, recognizing that consequences mature with force and duration.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa

Geographic Context

Type: hellish torture-ground with wheels (cakra)

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: naraka descriptions of cakra/yantra torments (adjacent verses 2.3.29–32); Garuda Purana: general karma-phala framing in Pretakalpa sections on Yama’s punishments

Characters & Entities

• Yama
• Humans

FAQs

What is the importance of karma-based punishment in the Garuda Purana?

This verse states that sinful actions themselves become the direct causes of suffering, showing a moral causality where pāpa-karma ripens into specific consequences in Yama’s realm.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul after death?

Within the Preta Kanda narrative of post-death experience, it depicts one class of torment in Yama-loka: certain sinners are fastened to wheels and forced to whirl, illustrating the fruits of wrongdoing encountered after death.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Treat harmful actions as future suffering-in-seed: reduce unethical conduct, practice restraint and compassion, and align daily life with dharma to avoid creating causes of pain.