Shloka 36

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

Devanagari script

यावन्तो जन्तवः स्वर्गे तावन्तो नरकौकसः पापकृद् याति नरकं प्रायश्चित्तपराङ्मुखः

Transliteration

yāvanto jantavaḥ svarge tāvanto narakaukasaḥ pāpakṛd yāti narakaṃ prāyaścittaparāṅmukhaḥ

Translation

As many as there are living beings in heaven, so many are there who dwell in hell. The doer of sin goes to the hell-realms when he turns away from expiation and refuses atonement (prāyaścitta).

Word by Word

• यावन्तः: as many as
• यावन्तः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यावत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; परिमाणवाचक-विशेषण (correlative)

• जन्तवः: creatures, beings
• जन्तवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्तु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• स्वर्गे: in heaven
• स्वर्गे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• तावन्तः: so many
• तावन्तः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तावत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; परिमाणवाचक-विशेषण (correlative)

• नरकौकसः: dwellers in hell
• नरकौकसः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक + ओकस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; समासः—नरके ओकः/ओकसः येषाम् (तत्पुरुष-निष्पन्न प्रातिपदिक; 'hell-dwellers')

• पापकृत्: a sinner, evil-doer
• पापकृत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप + कृत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—पापं करोति इति (उपपद-तत्पुरुष)

• याति: goes
• याति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• नरकम्: to hell
• नरकम्: Karma (Goal/Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन

• प्रायश्चित्तपराङ्मुखः: turned away from atonement
• प्रायश्चित्तपराङ्मुखः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रायश्चित्त + पराङ्मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—प्रायश्चित्तात् पराङ्मुखः (पञ्चमी-तत्पुरुषः)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Proportionality of svarga/naraka populations and the salvific role of prāyaścitta (atonement)

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: admonitory

Cosmological Context

Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas (worlds)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Sin leads to naraka especially when one rejects prāyaścitta; atonement is presented as a dharmic remedy that redirects karmic trajectory.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: When wrongdoing occurs, practice sincere restitution and disciplined correction (confession, repair, vrata, charity), rather than denial or rationalization.

Vishishtadvaita: Prāyaścitta functions within the Lord’s compassionate moral order: karmic law is firm yet includes divinely sanctioned means of purification and return to dharma.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Hari

Characters & Entities

• Parashara
• Maitreya
• Svarga
• Naraka
• Prayashchitta

FAQs

What is the significance of prāyaścitta (atonement) in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse frames atonement as the decisive turning-point: the sinner who refuses prāyaścitta remains bound to the results of pāpa and therefore falls into naraka.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the link between heaven (svarga) and hell (naraka) here?

Parāśara presents them as parallel moral outcomes within the same cosmic order—just as beings attain svarga through merit, so too many become naraka-dwellers through unatoned wrongdoing.

The theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Even when Vishnu is not named, the teaching assumes a Vishnu-governed dharmic cosmos where moral law operates reliably; alignment with dharma and purification through atonement supports the soul’s movement toward higher order rather than degradation.