Shloka 15

नरक-निर्णयः, पाप-कर्म-फल-व्यवस्था, प्रायश्चित्त-क्रमः, तथा हरि-स्मरण-परमत्वम्

Devanagari script

देवद्विजपितृद्वेष्टा रत्नदूषयिता च यः स याति कृमिभक्षे वै कृमिशे च दुरिष्टकृत्

Transliteration

devadvijapitṛdveṣṭā ratnadūṣayitā ca yaḥ sa yāti kṛmibhakṣe vai kṛmiśe ca duriṣṭakṛt

Translation

Whoever bears hatred toward the gods, the twice-born, and the ancestral spirits (Pitṛs), and whoever defiles precious gems—such a doer of grievous wrongs falls into Kṛmibhakṣa, and then into Kṛmiśa, where worms become his devourers.

Word by Word

• देवद्विजपितृद्वेष्टा: hater of gods, brahmins, and ancestors
• देवद्विजपितृद्वेष्टा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव + द्विज + पितृ + द्वेष्टृ (द्विष् धातु, तृच्)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—देवद्विजपितॄणां द्वेष्टा (hater of gods, brahmins, and ancestors)

• रत्नदूषयिता: defiler of valuables
• रत्नदूषयिता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रत्न + दूषयिता (दूष् धातु, णिच्, तृच्)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—रत्नस्य दूषयिता (defiler of gems/valuables)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Relative pronoun)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Demonstrative pronoun)

• याति: goes
• याति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन (Active)

• कृमिभक्षे: in Kṛmibhakṣa (worm-devouring hell)
• कृमिभक्षे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृमि + भक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Locative singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—कृमिभिः भक्षः/भक्ष्यः (worm-eating place)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-अव्यय (particle: indeed)

• कृमिशे: in Kṛmiśa
• कृमिशे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृमिश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Locative singular; proper name of a hell/region)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• दुरिष्टकृत्: performer of evil rites
• दुरिष्टकृत्: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुरिष्ट + कृत् (कृ धातु, क्विप्)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः—दुरिष्टं करोति इति (doer of evil rites)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Consequences of hatred toward devas, brāhmaṇas, and pitṛs; and of defiling precious substances

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Dveṣa toward devas, dvijas, and pitṛs ruptures the triadic supports of yajña and social continuity; defiling ‘ratna’ mirrors inner corruption and yields grotesque retribution.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Replace contempt with gratitude: honor teachers, elders, and ancestral duties; treat sacred/valuable resources with purity and non-exploitative care.

Vishishtadvaita: Deva-dvija-pitṛ honoring sustains the Lord’s cosmic body (jagat as His śarīra); hatred is a rejection of His manifested order and obstructs bhakti.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Hari

Characters & Entities

• Devas
• Dvijas (twice-born classes)
• Pitṛs (ancestors)

FAQs

What is the significance of Kṛmibhakṣa and Kṛmiśa in the Vishnu Purana?

They are specific Naraka realms used by Parāśara to illustrate that hatred toward sacred supports of society (devas, dvijas, pitṛs) and the defilement of valuables lead to concrete karmic retribution.

How does Sage Parāśara explain moral order in this passage?

He frames dharma as a maintained cosmic-social harmony: violations against divine, ritual, and ancestral pillars are not merely social crimes but disruptions of order that yield proportionate consequences.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Purāṇic worldview assumes his sovereignty over cosmic law: karmic results and the governance of worlds function within the larger order sustained by the Supreme Reality.