Varaha Purana 199.5 — Adhyaya 199, Shloka 5

Description of the Torments of Rebirth: The Asipatravana Punishment and the Mechanics of Karmic Retribution

Devanagari script

कृत्वा पूजां परां तत्र प्रतीक्षन्ते परं जनम् ॥ अग्नितप्ते सुघोरे च निक्षिप्यन्ते शिलातले

Transliteration

kṛtvā pūjāṃ parāṃ tatra pratīkṣante paraṃ janam || agnitapte sughore ca nikṣipyante śilātale

Translation

Après y avoir accompli un culte suprême, ils attendent l’autre personne ; dans un lieu effroyable, chauffé par le feu, ils sont jetés sur une dalle de pierre.

Word by Word

• kṛtvā: having done
• kṛtvā: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/gerund (क्त्वान्त/अव्ययकृदन्त)

• pūjām: worship
• pūjām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pūjā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन)

• parām: supreme/great
• parām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन); qualifying 'pūjām'

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (देशवाचक अव्यय)

• pratīkṣante: they wait for
• pratīkṣante: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: prati + īkṣ (धातु)
• Form: Present tense (लट्), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Plural (बहुवचन); with upasarga 'prati-'

• param: supreme/other
• param: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन); qualifying 'janam'

• janam: person/people
• janam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन)

• agni-tapte: on/at (a place) heated by fire
• agni-tapte: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: agni (प्रातिपदिक) + tapta (कृदन्त; तप् धातु)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) compound; Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Locative (सप्तमी/7), Singular (एकवचन); qualifying an implied locus (e.g., place/stone-surface)

• su-ghore: in a very terrible (place)
• su-ghore: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su (अव्यय) + ghora (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Karmadhāraya (कर्मधारय); Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Locative (सप्तमी/7), Singular (एकवचन); coordinated with 'agni-tapte'

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय)

• nikṣipyante: are thrown/are cast
• nikṣipyante: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni + kṣip (धातु)
• Form: Present tense (लट्), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Plural (बहुवचन); passive sense ‘are thrown down/are placed’

• śilā-tale: on the stone-surface
• śilā-tale: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śilā (प्रातिपदिक) + tala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) compound; Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Locative (सप्तमी/7), Singular (एकवचन)

Speaker

Varāha

Subject Matter

Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Cosmology"]

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Ethics
• Naraka Descriptions
• Sanskrit Philology

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It illustrates a Purāṇic narrative pattern where ritual language and punitive imagery appear side by side, reflecting layered redactional and didactic styles in Purāṇic literature.

Which geographic location is identified?

No named geographic location is given; the setting is a generalized “terrifying, fire-heated” place typical of naraka descriptions.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

Actions have consequences; the verse situates human conduct within a moral universe where suffering is depicted as a result of wrongdoing (context supplied by surrounding verses).