Shloka 7

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

Devanagari script

कूटसाक्षी तथासम्यक् पक्षपातेन यो वदेत् यश् चान्यद् अनृतं वक्ति स नरो याति रौरवम्

Transliteration

kūṭasākṣī tathāsamyak pakṣapātena yo vadet yaś cānyad anṛtaṃ vakti sa naro yāti rauravam

Translation

Whoever stands as a false witness, or speaks wrongly out of partisanship, and whoever utters any other untruth—such a person falls into Raurava, the hell of torment.

Word by Word

• कूटसाक्षी: a false witness
• कूटसाक्षी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कूट (प्रातिपदिक) + साक्षिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (कूटस्य साक्षी = false witness)

• तथा: thus / likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• असम्यक्: improperly / wrongly
• असम्यक्: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अ- (उपसर्ग/निषेध) + सम्यक् (अव्यय/विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात-निषेधपूर्वकं क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: improperly)

• पक्षपातेन: with bias / partiality
• पक्षपातेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पक्षपात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; करण (instrumental)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक-यः (relative pronoun)

• वदेत्: should speak / would say
• वदेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वद् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative)

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

• अन्यत्: something else
• अन्यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्म (object)

• अनृतम्: falsehood / untruth
• अनृतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्म; (as noun: falsehood)

• वक्ति: speaks
• वक्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; निर्देश (demonstrative)

• नरः: man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• याति: goes
• याति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• रौरवम्: Raurava (a hell)
• रौरवम्: Karma (Destination/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रौरव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; गत्यर्थे कर्म (destination as object)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Dharma of conduct and the karmic consequences of falsehood and judicial deceit (naraka-phala).

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: False witness, partisan speech, and untruth generate karmic demerit that ripens as suffering in Raurava.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Practice truthful speech and integrity in legal/administrative contexts; avoid partisan distortion of facts.

Vishishtadvaita: Dharma functions under the Lord’s sovereignty: moral causality is a real order within His governed universe, not mere convention.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Characters & Entities

• Parāśara
• Maitreya
• Raurava (Naraka)

FAQs

What is the significance of false testimony (kūṭasākṣya) in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse treats perjury and biased speech as direct violations of dharma whose karmic result is descent to Raurava, underscoring that social justice depends on truth.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the consequences of biased speech?

He groups partisanship-driven speech with outright lying, indicating that distortion of truth—whether through bias or fabrication—produces the same grave karmic downfall.

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

Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Purana frames dharma and karmic retribution as operating within the Supreme Lord’s cosmic governance, where truth aligns with divine order.