Shloka 5
Pātāla and Naraka Enumeration; Brahmāṇḍa-Āvaraṇa and Nārāyaṇa’s Pervasion
महाज्वालस्तप्तकुम्भो लवणो ऽथि विमोहितः / रुधिराख्यो वैतरणी कृमिशः कृमिभो जनः
mahājvālastaptakumbho lavaṇo 'thi vimohitaḥ / rudhirākhyo vaitaraṇī kṛmiśaḥ kṛmibho janaḥ
There are realms named Mahājvāla, Taptakumbha, Lavaṇa, and also Vimohita; likewise the dreadful Rudhirākhya and Vaitaraṇī; and Kṛmiśa—where worms torment—and Kṛmibhojana, where beings are made food for worms.
Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Afterlife Stage: Naraka
Concept: Papa ripens into proportionate suffering; the afterlife is a moral mirror where cruelty, delusion, and impurity return as torment.
Vedantic Theme: Bandha through avidyā and adharma; karmic law operates until purification and Godward turning dissolve the causes.
Application: Reduce harm (especially violence and exploitation), practice truthfulness and compassion; undertake prayāścitta, charity, and Viṣṇu-smaraṇa to purify tendencies.
Primary Rasa: bibhatsa
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Type: hell-realms and infernal rivers/fields
Related Themes: Garuda Purana Preta-kalpa: Vaitaraṇī crossing, naraka catalogues, yamadūta descriptions (parallel passages within the work)
FAQs
This verse names Vaitaraṇī among the feared after-death regions, highlighting it as a key landmark of Yama’s path where karmic consequences become inescapably experiential.
By listing specific hells and tormenting regions (fire, cauldrons, salt, delusion, blood, worms), it frames the post-death journey as structured realms where sins ripen into corresponding sufferings.
Live with restraint and ethical discipline (avoid harm, cruelty, and exploitation), and support dharmic rites and charity—so one’s actions do not mature into the painful states described here.