Shloka 44

आत्यन्तिक-लयहेतुः: तापत्रय-विवेचनम् तथा ‘भगवान्/वासुदेव’ शब्दार्थः

Threefold Suffering and the Path to Final Liberation; Meaning of Bhagavān and Vāsudeva

Devanagari script

याम्यकिंकरपाशादिग्रहणं दण्डताडनम् यमस्य दर्शनं चोग्रम् उग्रमार्गविलोकनम्

Transliteration

yāmyakiṃkarapāśādigrahaṇaṃ daṇḍatāḍanam yamasya darśanaṃ cogram ugramārgavilokanam

Translation

There is the seizing by Yama’s attendants with their nooses and the like; the beating with the rod; the dreadful vision of Yama himself; and the forced beholding of the terrifying paths ahead.

Word by Word

• याम्यकिंकरपाशादिग्रहणम्: seizure by the nooses etc. of Yama’s attendants
• याम्यकिंकरपाशादिग्रहणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: याम्य (प्रातिपदिक) + किंकर (प्रातिपदिक) + पाश (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + ग्रहण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; समासः—‘याम्यकिंकराणां पाशाः आदयः (येषां) तेषां ग्रहणम्’ (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष, ‘आदि’ समाहारार्थे)

• दण्डताडनम्: beating with a staff
• दण्डताडनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दण्ड (प्रातिपदिक) + ताडन (प्रातिपदिक; √ताड्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; ‘दण्डेन ताडनम्’ (तृतीया-तत्पुरुष)

• यमस्य: of Yama
• यमस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• दर्शनम्: seeing/vision
• दर्शनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दर्शन (प्रातिपदिक; √दृश्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; कर्म/उद्देश्य-रूपेण सूचीकरणम्

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक निपात (conjunction)

• उग्रम्: terrible
• उग्रम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उग्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण—दर्शनम्

• उग्रमार्गविलोकनम्: viewing the dreadful path
• उग्रमार्गविलोकनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उग्र (प्रातिपदिक) + मार्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + विलोकन (प्रातिपदिक; वि√लोक्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; ‘उग्रस्य मार्गस्य विलोकनम्’ (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (in dialogue with Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Specific ordeals inflicted by Yamadūtas and the fearful approach to Yama

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: authoritative

Cosmological Context

Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Karmic retribution is depicted as an unavoidable ‘process’—seizure, chastisement, and confrontation with Yama—underscoring the certainty of moral consequence.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Let the vivid imagery function as deterrence: avoid adharma even in secret, cultivate repentance, and establish daily dharmic routines.

Vishishtadvaita: The cosmos is a meaningful moral order; Yama’s governance operates under Bhagavān’s sovereignty, preserving dharma through just recompense.

Characters & Entities

• Yama
• Yama’s attendants (Yāmya-kiṅkaras)

FAQs

What is the significance of Yama’s attendants and the noose in the Vishnu Purana?

They represent the inescapable binding force of karma: the soul is ‘seized’ by the consequences of its own actions, administered through Yama’s orderly governance.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the post-death experience in this context?

Parāśara describes it as an encounter with karmic retribution—apprehension by Yama’s agents, punitive suffering, and being made to witness dreadful routes—emphasizing moral causality rather than randomness.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu here, even though He is not named in this verse?

The verse presupposes a cosmos ruled by lawful dharma; in Vaishnava theology of the Vishnu Purana, such moral order ultimately rests on Vishnu as the supreme ground of sovereignty and cosmic governance.