Shloka 31
नरकलोकमार्गयमदूतस्वरूपवर्णनम् / Description of the Path to Naraka and the Nature of Yama’s Messengers
बद्धाश्शृंखलया केचिदुत्ता नपादका नराः । कृष्यंते कृष्यमाणाश्च यमदूतैर्बलोत्कटैः
baddhāśśṛṃkhalayā keciduttā napādakā narāḥ | kṛṣyaṃte kṛṣyamāṇāśca yamadūtairbalotkaṭaiḥ
Some men, bound fast in chains, are dragged along—laid flat, their feet turned upward—while the mighty, forceful messengers of Yama pull them away without mercy.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Rudra
Cosmic Event: post-mortem yama-yātrā (karmic transit to naraka)
FAQs
It vividly portrays pasha (bondage) created by one’s own karma: when dharma is violated, the soul experiences compelled movement toward suffering, highlighting the Shaiva Siddhanta call to turn from bondage to Pati (Shiva) through purification and devotion.
By contrasting helpless karmic compulsion with Shiva’s saving grace, the verse implicitly supports seeking refuge in Saguna Shiva—worship of the Linga as a tangible focus for surrender, repentance, and inner reform that loosens the bonds of pasha.
The takeaway is karmic correction through Shaiva practice—daily remembrance of Shiva (japa of “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), coupled with ethical restraint; specific items like rudraksha or bhasma are not stated in this verse but align with the text’s broader remedial Shaiva discipline.