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Shloka 19

Vaitaraṇī: Torments of the Sinful, Sins Enumerated, and the Vaitaraṇī Go-dāna Rite

Devanagari script

सदामर्षो सदा क्रोधी निजवाक्यप्रमाणकृत् / परोक्त्युच्छेदको नित्यं वैतरण्या वसेच्चिरम्

Transliteration

sadāmarṣo sadā krodhī nijavākyapramāṇakṛt / paroktyucchedako nityaṃ vaitaraṇyā vasecciram

Translation

Wer stets unnachgiebig ist, stets zornig, nur die eigenen Worte als Autorität gelten lässt und fortwährend die Worte anderer niederschneidet oder widerlegt—der verweilt lange in der Vaitaraṇī.

Word by Word
सदाalways
सदा:
Kriya-visheshana (क्रियाविशेषण/Adverbial)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootसदा (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय (adverb)
अमर्षःone who is intolerant/resentful
अमर्षः:
Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
TypeNoun
Rootअमर्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)
सदाalways
सदा:
Kriya-visheshana (क्रियाविशेषण/Adverbial)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootसदा (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय (adverb)
क्रोधीone who is angry
क्रोधी:
Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
TypeNoun
Rootक्रोधिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); इन्-प्रत्ययान्त (in-stem)
निजवाक्यप्रमाणकृत्one who makes his own words the authority
निजवाक्यप्रमाणकृत्:
Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
TypeNoun
Rootनिज (प्रातिपदिक) + वाक्य (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रमाण (प्रातिपदिक) + कृद्/कृत् (प्रातिपदिक; √कृ)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (genitive determinative): ‘निजवाक्यं प्रमाणं करोति’ इति
परोक्तिanother’s statement
परोक्ति:
Karma (कर्म/Object)
TypeNoun
Rootपर (प्रातिपदिक) + उक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष-समास (determinative): ‘परस्य उक्तिः’; प्रातिपदिक (compound base)
उच्छेदकःdestroyer, one who cuts off
उच्छेदकः:
Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
TypeNoun
Rootउत्-√छिद् (धातु) + अक (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); कर्तरि-ण्वुल्/अक-प्रत्ययार्थक (agent noun): ‘उच्छेदं करोति’
नित्यम्constantly
नित्यम्:
Kriya-visheshana (क्रियाविशेषण/Adverbial)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootनित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
Formअव्यय (adverbial accusative)
वैतरण्याम्in the Vaitaraṇī (river/hell-stream)
वैतरण्याम्:
Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Locative)
TypeNoun
Rootवैतरणी (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular)
वसेत्would dwell
वसेत्:
Kriya (क्रिया/Verb)
TypeVerb
Rootवस् (धातु)
Formविधिलिङ् (Optative/Potential), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular); परस्मैपद
चिरम्for a long time
चिरम्:
Kriya-visheshana (क्रियाविशेषण/Adverbial)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootचिर (प्रातिपदिक)
Formअव्यय (adverbial accusative)
Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in instruction to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Naraka

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Habitual krodha, amārṣa (intolerance), self-authorizing speech, and constant refutation of others lead to long residence in Vaitaraṇī.

Vedantic Theme: Ahaṅkāra and dveṣa distort buddhi and bind the jīva; speech-ethics (vāṅ-niyama) is part of inner purification.

Application: Practice kṣamā (forbearance), listen charitably, verify claims, and cultivate respectful dialogue; restrain speech that humiliates or silences others.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: raudra

Geographic Context

Type: river

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: Vaitaraṇī descriptions and causes (immediate context 2.47.20)

Characters & Entities
V
Vaitarani
Y
Yama

FAQs

In this verse, Vaitaraṇī functions as a karmic threshold on Yama’s path where specific faults—like chronic anger, intolerance, and cutting down others’ speech—result in prolonged suffering.

It links post-death experience to habitual mental and verbal conduct: a person who lives in constant wrath and argumentative denial of others accrues karma that places the soul in the painful Vaitaraṇī stage for a long duration.

Cultivate patience, reduce reactive anger, and practice respectful dialogue—treating truth as larger than personal opinion—to avoid the karmic consequences associated with harsh, dismissive speech.

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