Shloka 23
नरक-निर्णयः, पाप-कर्म-फल-व्यवस्था, प्रायश्चित्त-क्रमः, तथा हरि-स्मरण-परमत्वम्
अगारदाही मित्रघ्नः शाकुनिर् ग्रामयाजकः रुधिरान्धे पतन्त्य् एते सोमं विक्रीणते च ये
agāradāhī mitraghnaḥ śākunir grāmayājakaḥ rudhirāndhe patanty ete somaṃ vikrīṇate ca ye
The arsonist who burns homes, the slayer of a friend, the omen-monger who lives by bird-portents, the village-priest who performs rites for hire without right conduct—and those who sell the sacred Soma—such men fall into the hell called Rudhirāndha, “Blindness of Blood.”
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Specific sins leading to particular narakas (hell-realms)
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: warning
Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas (worlds)
Concept: Grave violations—arson, betrayal, fraudulent divination, mercenary priestcraft, and selling Soma—lead to severe post-mortem suffering (Rudhirāndha).
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Avoid harm to community, betrayal of trust, and commercialization of sacred rites; keep spiritual practice free from exploitation.
Vishishtadvaita: Sacred substances and rites belong to Bhagavān’s order; profaning them is an offense against the divine body of the world and its moral law.
FAQs
Rudhirāndha is named as a specific Naraka where certain grave ethical and ritual violations—like arson, betraying a friend, exploitative divination, corrupt officiation, and selling Soma—ripen into painful karmic results.
By listing concrete actions and their destination, Parāśara frames dharma as an objective cosmic law: deeds that destroy trust, social safety, and sacred rites inevitably produce corresponding consequences.
Even when Vishnu is not directly named, the Vishnu Purana presents him as the supreme ground of ṛta/dharma—so karmic justice and the governance of Narakas function within Vishnu’s sovereign order of the universe.