Shloka 5

Post-cremation Ripening of Karma and the Principal Narakas

Devanagari script

योजनानां सहस्रे द्वे रौरवो हि प्रमाणतः / जानुमात्रप्रमाणं तु तत्र गर्तं सुदुस्तरम्

Transliteration

yojanānāṃ sahasre dve rauravo hi pramāṇataḥ / jānumātrapramāṇaṃ tu tatra gartaṃ sudustaram

Translation

Raurava, según la medida, se extiende por dos mil yojanas. Allí hay un foso de apenas la altura de la rodilla, y sin embargo es sumamente difícil de cruzar.

Word by Word

• योजनानाम्: of yojanas
• योजनानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• सहस्रे: two thousands
• सहस्रे: Karma (Measure/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), द्विवचन; संख्यावाचक-प्रयोग (with dve)

• द्वे: two
• द्वे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वि (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), द्विवचन; संख्याविशेषणम् (सहस्रे)

• रौरवः: Raurava (hell)
• रौरवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रौरव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle/emphasis)

• प्रमाणतः: by measure / in extent
• प्रमाणतः: Adhikarana (Manner/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रमाण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), तसिल्-प्रत्ययार्थ (according to measure)

• जानुमात्रप्रमाणम्: of knee-only measure (knee-deep)
• जानुमात्रप्रमाणम्: Karma (Measure/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जानु + मात्र + प्रमाण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (जानु-मात्रं प्रमाणं यस्य/यावत्)

• तु: and/but
• तु: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (contrast/emphasis)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• गर्तम्: a pit
• गर्तम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गर्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• सुदुस्तरम्: very hard to cross
• सुदुस्तरम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु + दुस्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (गर्तम्); उपसर्ग/उपपद—सु (intensifier)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Naraka

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Karmic suffering is not merely ‘deep’ or ‘large’ in physical terms; even seemingly small constraints become inescapable under papa’s force.

Vedantic Theme: Māyā-like inversion: appearances deceive; bondage (bandha) makes the ‘easy’ impossible until karma is exhausted.

Application: Do not underestimate ‘small’ lies or minor unethical acts; they can create disproportionate entanglement and suffering.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Geographic Context

Type: naraka (hell)

Cross References

Related Themes: Continuation of Raurava description (2.3.4–2.3.7) detailing terrain and torment

Characters & Entities

• Raurava

FAQs

What is the importance of Raurava in the Garuda Purana?

This verse highlights Raurava as a vast, measured hell-realm where even seemingly small obstacles (like a knee-deep pit) become extremely difficult to cross, underscoring the severity of karmic consequences.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul after death?

Within the Garuda Purana’s after-death narrative, the soul encounters daunting terrains in Yama’s domains; the verse conveys that suffering is not only in scale (thousands of yojanas) but also in the inescapable difficulty of the punishments described.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Treat harmful actions as creating disproportionate future hardship; cultivate dharma, restraint, and reparative conduct (prāyaścitta/charity where appropriate) so one does not incur such painful post-death consequences.