Shloka 2

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

Devanagari script

रौरवः सूकरो रोधस् तालो विशसनस् तथा महाज्वालस् तप्तकुम्भो लवणो ऽथ विलोहितः

Transliteration

rauravaḥ sūkaro rodhas tālo viśasanas tathā mahājvālas taptakumbho lavaṇo 'tha vilohitaḥ

Translation

Raurava, Sūkara, Rodhas, Tāla, and Viśasana; likewise Mahājvāla, Taptakumbha, Lavaṇa, and then Vilohita—these are named among the hell-realms, grim stations where embodied beings, bound by karma, meet the fruits of their deeds.

Word by Word

• रौरवः: Raurava (a hell-name)
• रौरवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रौरव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• सूकरः: Sūkara (a hell-name)
• सूकरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूकर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• रोधः: Rodhas (a hell-name)
• रोधः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रोधस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तालः: Tāla (a hell-name)
• तालः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ताल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• विशसनः: Viśasana (a hell-name)
• विशसनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विशसन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तथा: and also / likewise
• तथा: Sambandha/Discourse marker (सम्बन्ध/अनुक्रम)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अनुक्रमसूचक (also/likewise)

• महाज्वालः: Mahājvāla (great-flame; a hell-name)
• महाज्वालः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महā (प्रातिपदिक) + ज्वाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (महान् ज्वालः)

• तप्तकुम्भः: Taptakumbha (heated-pot; a hell-name)
• तप्तकुम्भः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तप्त (कृदन्त; √तप् धातु) + कुम्भ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी/कर्मधारयार्थ-तत्पुरुष (तप्तः कुम्भः/तप्तकुम्भः)

• लवणः: Lavaṇa (salt; a hell-name)
• लवणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लवण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अथ: then / next
• अथ: Sambandha/Discourse marker (सम्बन्ध/अनुक्रम)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम/आरम्भसूचक (then/next)

• विलोहितः: Vilohita (reddish; a hell-name)
• विलोहितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वि- (उपसर्ग) + लोहित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Cosmological Context

Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas (naraka realms within Yama’s jurisdiction)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Actions (karma) bear inevitable fruits, and the cosmos includes ordained realms where demerit ripens as suffering.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Cultivate restraint and dharmic conduct by reflecting on long-term karmic consequences rather than short-term gain.

Vishishtadvaita: Moral order is not impersonal: karmaphala operates within the sovereignty of Nārāyaṇa, the ruler of all realms.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Narayana (cosmic)

Characters & Entities

• Parāśara
• Maitreya
• Naraka (hell-realms)

FAQs

What is the significance of Narakas (hell-realms) in the Vishnu Purana?

They function as moral cartography: named realms that illustrate how karma yields specific consequences, reinforcing dharma within the cosmic order upheld under Vishnu’s sovereignty.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the structure of punishment in this chapter?

By enumerating distinct Narakas by name, Parāśara frames suffering as differentiated outcomes of deeds—an ordered, intelligible system rather than random torment.

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

Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Purāṇic worldview assumes a universe governed by divine order: karmic justice operates within the larger sovereignty of the Supreme Reality.