Shloka 36

सामान्यतो नरकगतिवर्णनम्

General Description of the Course of Hell / Naraka-gati

Devanagari script

कृमिभिर्भिन्नसर्वांगाश्शतशो जर्जरीकृताः । सुतीक्ष्णक्षारकूपेषु क्षिप्यंते तदनंतरम्

Transliteration

kṛmibhirbhinnasarvāṃgāśśataśo jarjarīkṛtāḥ | sutīkṣṇakṣārakūpeṣu kṣipyaṃte tadanaṃtaram

Translation

Their limbs are split apart by worms and, in hundreds of ways, reduced to a shattered condition; thereafter they are hurled into wells filled with exceedingly caustic alkali.

Word by Word

• कृमिभिः: by worms
• कृमिभिः: Karaṇa (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृमि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• भिन्न-सर्व-अङ्गाः: whose whole bodies are split
• भिन्न-सर्व-अङ्गाः: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier of implied beings)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भिन्न (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्ताधारित) + सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + अङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; बहुव्रीहि (भिन्नानि सर्वाणि अङ्गानि येषाम्)

• शतशः: in hundreds
• शतशः: Prakāra (प्रकार/Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शतशस् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकार/परिमाणवाचक-अव्यय (distributive: ‘by hundreds’)

• जर्जरी-कृताः: made shattered
• जर्जरी-कृताः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जर्जरी (प्रातिपदिक) + कृ (धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (कृत), तत्पुरुष (जर्जरीं कृताः)

• सु-तीक्ष्ण-क्षार-कूपेषु: in wells of very sharp caustic alkali
• सु-तीक्ष्ण-क्षार-कूपेषु: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सु (अव्यय) + तीक्ष्ण (प्रातिपदिक) + क्षार (प्रातिपदिक) + कूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (सुतीक्ष्णः क्षारः येषु कूपेषु)

• क्षिप्यन्ते: are thrown
• क्षिप्यन्ते: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: क्षिप् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive sense: ‘are thrown’)

• तत्: then
• तत्: Kāla (काल/Sequence marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययप्रयोग (adverbial ‘then/thereafter’)

• अनन्तरम्: immediately after
• अनन्तरम्: Kāla (काल/Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अनन्तर (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययप्रयोग)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (immediately after)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: naraka-yātanā (karmaphala depiction)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in the Shiva Purana?

It underscores the Shaiva principle of moral causality (karma): actions that strengthen pāśa (bondage) ripen into painful consequences, urging the seeker to turn toward Shiva as Pati and pursue purification, dharma, and liberation.

How does this verse relate to the worship of the Linga or Saguna Shiva?

By contrasting suffering born of impurity with the refuge of Shiva, it indirectly points to Saguna Shiva—worshipped as the Linga—as the compassionate Lord who grants cleansing of pāpa through devotion, right conduct, and grace.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is repentance and purification through Shiva-upāsanā—regular japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), along with disciplined living; where traditional, this is supported by Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrāksha as aids to remembrance.