Shloka 45

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

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

Devanagari script

करम्भवालुकावह्नियन्त्रशस्त्रादिभीषणे प्रत्येकं नरके याश् च यातना द्विज दुःसहाः

Transliteration

karambhavālukāvahniyantraśastrādibhīṣaṇe pratyekaṃ narake yāś ca yātanā dvija duḥsahāḥ

Translation

In each and every hell—terrifying with pits of boiling gruel, scorching sands, raging fires, engines of torment, and sharp weapons—the punishments endured, O twice-born one, are unbearable to bear.

Word by Word

• करम्भवालुकावह्नियन्त्रशस्त्रादिभीषणे: in the hell terrifying with gruel, sand, fire, machines, weapons, etc.
• करम्भवालुकावह्नियन्त्रशस्त्रादिभीषणे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: करम्भ (प्रातिपदिक) + वालुका (प्रातिपदिक) + वह्नि (प्रातिपदिक) + यन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक) + शस्त्र (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + भीषण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; विशेषण—नरके; समासः—‘करम्भ-वालुका-वह्नि-यन्त्र-शस्त्र-आदि-भिः भीषणः (नरकः)’ इत्यर्थे बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (आदि-समाहार)

• प्रत्येकम्: each/separately
• प्रत्येकम्: Sambandha (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रत्येकम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय—वितरणार्थक (severally/each)

• नरके: in hell
• नरके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरण

• याः: which
• याः: Sambandha (Relative)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धक—यातनाः इत्यस्य विशेषणम् (relative pronoun)

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

• यातनाः: torments
• यातनाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यातना (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; कर्तृ/विषय-रूपेण सूचीकरणम्

• द्विज: O twice-born (brahmin)
• द्विज: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; संबोधन

• दुःसहाः: hard to endure
• दुःसहाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुःसह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषण—यातनाः; नञ्-तत्पुरुष-प्रकृतिः (दुः + सह)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (addressing Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Varieties of narakas and their unbearable instruments of punishment

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: authoritative

Cosmological Context

Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Each naraka is portrayed as uniquely equipped with instruments matching specific karmic faults, stressing the precision and inevitability of karmic recompense.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Practice self-audit (svādhyāya), confession and atonement (prāyaścitta where appropriate), charity, and bhakti to redirect karmic momentum.

Vishishtadvaita: Retribution is not arbitrary: it is a structured dispensation within the Lord’s righteous governance, affirming a real moral universe where grace is sought through devotion and surrender.

Characters & Entities

• Parāśara
• Maitreya
• Naraka

FAQs

What is the significance of Naraka (hell) in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse frames Naraka as a structured karmic consequence: each hell has specific, dreadful instruments of punishment, underscoring that moral action has inevitable results within cosmic order.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the nature of punishment here?

Parāśara emphasizes variety and specificity—“in each hell”—and highlights the intensity of suffering through vivid imagery (fire, weapons, machines), teaching Maitreya the seriousness of adharma.

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

Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Purana’s theology implies that such moral governance operates under Vishnu’s supreme sovereignty: karma and its fruits unfold within the lawful order sustained by the Supreme Reality.