Shloka 33

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

Devanagari script

अधःशिरोभिर् दृश्यन्ते नारकैर् दिवि देवताः देवाश् चाधोमुखान् सर्वान् अधः पश्यन्ति नारकान्

Transliteration

adhaḥśirobhir dṛśyante nārakair divi devatāḥ devāś cādhomukhān sarvān adhaḥ paśyanti nārakān

Translation

With their heads hanging downward, the denizens of hell behold the gods in heaven above; and the gods, in turn, look down and see all those hell-bound beings, face-downward, beneath them.

Word by Word

• अधःशिरोभिः: with heads downward
• अधःशिरोभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अधः + शिरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन; समासः—अधः (अव्यय) + शिरः → अधःशिरस् (अव्ययीभावः)

• दृश्यन्ते: are seen
• दृश्यन्ते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपदम्; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)

• नारकैः: by the hell-dwellers
• नारकैः: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण/कर्ता-करण), बहुवचन

• दिवि: in heaven
• दिवि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिव् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन; अव्ययीभाववत् प्रयोगः (locative adverbial)

• देवताः: the deities
• देवताः: Karma (Patient/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• देवाः: the gods
• देवाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• अधोमुखान्: down-faced, facing downward
• अधोमुखान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अधः + मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), बहुवचन; समासः—अधः (अव्यय) + मुख → अधोमुख (अव्ययीभावः)

• सर्वान्: all
• सर्वान्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), बहुवचन; विशेषणम्

• अधः: downward, below
• अधः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अधः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; दिशाबोधक/क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of direction)

• पश्यन्ति: they see
• पश्यन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• नारकान्: the hell-dwellers
• नारकान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), बहुवचन

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Spatial relation and mutual visibility of svarga and naraka inhabitants

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: revealing

Cosmological Context

Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas (worlds)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The cosmos is morally stratified: beings experience corresponding lokas, and the contrast between svarga and naraka is made perceptible as a didactic vision.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Use contemplation of consequences (svarga/naraka as symbols of karmic outcomes) to restrain harmful speech and actions.

Vishishtadvaita: Lokas function within the Lord’s ordered governance; karmic visibility underscores a purposeful, intelligible cosmos under Nārāyaṇa.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Narayana (cosmic)

Characters & Entities

• Devas (gods)
• Nārakāḥ (hell-beings)

FAQs

What is the significance of the ‘upward and downward’ vision between heaven and hell in the Vishnu Purana?

It dramatizes cosmic moral order: the higher worlds correspond to merit and dharma, while the lower correspond to demerit, making karmic consequence visually and spatially explicit.

How does Sage Parāśara explain Naraka in this chapter’s narrative flow?

Parāśara presents Naraka as part of the structured universe of lokas, where beings experience results of actions; this verse highlights their humiliation and the clear separation between realms.

What is the theological takeaway about Lord Vishnu’s sovereignty in this context?

Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the ordered arrangement of realms and the certainty of karmic fruition point to a governed cosmos—consistent with Vaishnava thought where the Supreme sustains cosmic law and its outcomes.