Varaha Purana 200.49: Adhyaya 200, Shloka 49
Description of the Forms of Infernal Torments
Naraka Yātanās
ततोऽन्यल्लभते चैव यातनार्थं प्रयत्नतः ॥ ततः पश्यति पुत्रांस्तु महद्दुःखं सुदारुणम्
tato 'nyal labhate caiva yātanārthaṁ prayatnataḥ | tataḥ paśyati putrāṁs tu mahad duḥkhaṁ sudāruṇam ||
Dann erfährt er, durch eigenes Bemühen herbeigeführt, noch ein weiteres Erleben, das zur Qual bestimmt ist; darauf sieht er seine Söhne, und es entsteht großes Leid, überaus schrecklich.
Varāha (default, instructor voice in Varāha Purāṇa dialogues)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"instructor"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"instruction_summary":"After one torment ends, another is obtained ‘for punishment’ through one’s own agency (karma); attachment to progeny becomes a fresh locus of suffering when the departed is forced to witness them.","karmic_consequence":"Karmic momentum generates successive torments; clinging to family-identities intensifies grief and prolongs distress, whereas dharmic detachment and right conduct reduce such suffering."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"vairāgya / attachment critique within karma doctrine","core_concept":"Suffering is compounded by moha (delusion/attachment): even after death, identification with ‘my sons’ becomes a weapon of torment.","practical_application":"Fulfill family duties righteously yet cultivate non-possessiveness; practice remembrance of impermanence and dedicate actions to dharma/Īśvara."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Afterlife Imagery","Family and Social Bonds"]
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Type: eschatological passage/torment-stage
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 200.55 (family members seen bound); Varāha Purāṇa 200.56 (cries of ‘save me, my child’)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A tormented departed being is driven onward into a new punishment; in the distance he beholds his sons, and the scene turns into a tableau of unbearable grief and dread.","item_prompts":["pathway through dark region","tormenting attendants in shadow","sons appearing as vision","hands reaching out in despair","heavy, oppressive sky"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: layered narrative—foreground preta driven forward, background vision of sons; strong gesture language; muted reds/browns for sorrow.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: framed ‘vision’ of sons like a mirror-panel; gold outlining the vision boundary; central figure in anguish.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: soft gradations for the ‘vision’ effect; delicate facial sorrow; restrained attendants.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: two-plane composition—foreground traveler, background family group; expressive eyes and minimal props."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"lamenting yet didactic","suggested_raga":"Darbari Kanada","pace":"medium-slow","voice_tone":"somber, slightly intensified on mahad-duḥkham sudāruṇam"}
FAQs
It highlights a moral-emotional strategy common in Purāṇic literature: punishment includes psychological anguish tied to family relations.
No geographic site is identified; the focus is on experiential torment rather than place-name geography.
The verse underscores that unethical conduct is portrayed as harming not only the self but also one’s relational world through grief and fear.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Varaha Purana in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.