Shloka 37
Yama-mārga (Adhvan) and the Courts of Yama: Vaivasvatī and Chitragupta
क्षिप्त्वान्ये च धरापृष्ठे कुठारेणावकर्तिताः / क्रन्दमानाश्च दृश्यन्ते पूर्वकर्मविपाकतः
kṣiptvānye ca dharāpṛṣṭhe kuṭhāreṇāvakartitāḥ / krandamānāśca dṛśyante pūrvakarmavipākataḥ
Andere werden auf die Erdfläche geschleudert und mit Äxten zerhauen; man sieht sie klagend aufschreien—durch das Reifen ihrer früheren Taten.
Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Afterlife Stage: Naraka
Concept: Visible suffering and lamentation arise from पूर्वकर्मविपाक; deeds return as experiential pain.
Vedantic Theme: Adhyāsa of agency leading to bondage; karma’s maturation producing duḥkha until tendencies are exhausted.
Application: Practice non-harm and repentance; cultivate dharmic choices now to prevent future lamentation; develop compassion toward sufferers as a spur to reform.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Type: execution ground/earth-like floor
Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: repeated refrain ‘पूर्वकर्मविपाकतः’ anchoring punishments in causality
FAQs
This verse states that the pains witnessed in the post-death realm are not random; they are the matured results of one’s own prior actions (pūrva-karma-vipāka).
In the Preta Kanda narrative, the departed being encounters specific torments aligned with past deeds; the wailing and violent punishments depicted here illustrate that the afterlife journey includes experiential consequences of karma under Yama’s order.
Treat actions as seeds that will certainly ripen: cultivate non-violence, restraint, and ethical conduct so that future suffering—described as karma’s fruition—need not be faced.