Shloka 4

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

Devanagari script

तथा पूयवहः पापो वह्निज्वालो ह्य् अधःशिराः संदंशः कृष्णसूत्रश् च तमश् चावीचिर् एव च

Transliteration

tathā pūyavahaḥ pāpo vahnijvālo hy adhaḥśirāḥ saṃdaṃśaḥ kṛṣṇasūtraś ca tamaś cāvīcir eva ca

Translation

So too are other hell-realms: Pūyavaha, Pāpa, Vahnijvāla, and Adhaḥśiras; likewise Saṃdaṃśa and Kṛṣṇasūtra—along with Tamaḥ and Avīci as well—each a domain where the fruits of wrongful acts ripen into suffering under the unerring moral order within Lord Viṣṇu’s sovereign cosmos.

Word by Word

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

• पूयवहः: Pūyavaha (carrier of pus; a hell-name)
• पूयवहः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूय (प्रातिपदिक) + वह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (पूयस्य वहः/वहः)

• पापः: Pāpa (sin/evil; a hell-name)
• पापः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• वह्निज्वालः: Vahnijvāla (flame of fire; a hell-name)
• वह्निज्वालः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वह्नि (प्रातिपदिक) + ज्वाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (वह्नेः ज्वालः)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Prayojaka/Emphasis (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphatic particle)

• अधःशिराः: Adhaḥśiras (head-down; a hell-name)
• अधःशिराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अधः (अव्यय) + शिरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि-समास (अधः शिरः यस्य सः)

• संदंशः: Saṃdaṃśa (a hell-name)
• संदंशः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संदंश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कृष्णसूत्रः: Kṛṣṇasūtra (black-thread; a hell-name)
• कृष्णसूत्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक) + सूत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (कृष्णं सूत्रम्)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordinator/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक

• तमः: Tamas (darkness; a hell-name)
• तमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordinator/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक

• अवीचिः: Avīci (a hell-name)
• अवीचिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अवीचि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• एव: indeed / just
• एव: Avadharana (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण/निश्चयार्थक (emphatic)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordinator/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (in discourse to Maitreya)

Cosmological Context

Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas (additional naraka realms)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Specific wrongdoings culminate in correspondingly specific sufferings, underscoring the precision of karmic causality.

Vedantic Theme: Karma

Application: Adopt daily self-examination (svādhyāya) and corrective disciplines—truthfulness, non-harm, purity—to prevent ‘downward’ karmic momentum.

Vishishtadvaita: The cosmos is a morally intelligible order: the Lord’s governance allows karma to mature while remaining ultimately oriented toward correction and dharma.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Narayana (cosmic)

Characters & Entities

• Parāśara
• Maitreya
• Pūyavaha
• Pāpa
• Vahnijvāla
• Adhaḥśiras
• Saṃdaṃśa
• Kṛṣṇasūtra
• Tamaḥ
• Avīci

FAQs

What is the significance of listing Narakas like Pūyavaha and Avīci in the Vishnu Purana?

The list maps the moral architecture of the cosmos—specific realms of suffering that illustrate how karma matures into precise consequences, reinforcing dharma within Viṣṇu’s ordered universe.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the working of karma through these hell-realms?

By naming multiple Narakas in sequence, Parāśara emphasizes that karmic results are differentiated and systematic—suffering is not random but corresponds to wrongdoing within a governed cosmic law.

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

Even when describing Naraka, the Purana implies a universe sustained by Viṣṇu’s supreme sovereignty—justice and consequence operate as part of His cosmic administration, guiding beings back toward dharma.