Shloka 23
Yama’s Journey to Brahmaloka
Ekadashi–Dvadashi Mahatmya in the Rukmangada Cycle
शून्ये त्रिविष्टपे जाते शून्ये च नरके तथा । नारदो धर्मराजानं गत्वा चेदमुवाच ह ॥ २३ ॥
śūnye triviṣṭape jāte śūnye ca narake tathā | nārado dharmarājānaṃ gatvā cedamuvāca ha || 23 ||
Lorsque le ciel (Triviṣṭapa) devint désert, et que l’enfer lui aussi fut désert, Nārada se rendit auprès de Dharmarāja (Yama) et prononça ces paroles.
Suta (narrator), introducing Narada’s action
Vrata: none
Rasa: {"primary_rasa":"adbhuta","secondary_rasa":"bhayanaka","emotional_journey":"A startling cosmic inversion (empty heaven and hell) creates unease, then shifts into purposeful movement as Nārada approaches Dharmarāja to inquire."}
FAQs
It signals an extraordinary imbalance in the cosmic moral order—when both Svarga and Naraka stand empty—prompting Nārada to consult Dharmarāja, the divine administrator of karmic justice.
Indirectly, it frames a discussion about the fate of souls and the functioning of karmic results; in Purāṇic context, such disruptions often lead to teachings on superior paths like Viṣṇu-bhakti that can transcend ordinary merit-and-sin accounting.
No specific Vedāṅga (like Vyākaraṇa or Jyotiṣa) is taught in this verse; it is primarily narrative, setting up a dharma-karmaphala discussion overseen by Yama.