Shloka 25
Svargārohaṇa-parva Adhyāya 2 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry for His Kin and the Vision of a Punitive Realm
कूटशाल्मलिकं चापि दुःस्पर्श तीक्ष्णकण्टकम् । ददर्श चापि कौन्तेयो यातना: पापकर्मिणाम्
kūṭaśālmalikaṃ cāpi duḥsparśa-tīkṣṇa-kaṇṭakam | dadarśa cāpi kaunteyo yātanāḥ pāpa-karmiṇām ||
वैशम्पायन बोले—कुन्तीनन्दन ने कूट-शाल्मलि वृक्ष भी देखे, जो छूने में कठिन और तीखे काँटों से भरे थे; और उन्होंने वहाँ पापकर्मियों को दी जा रही कठोर यातनाएँ भी देखीं।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Actions bear consequences: those who engage in pāpa (wrongdoing) encounter painful results, depicted here as harsh yātanās. The imagery reinforces ethical accountability and the inevitability of karmic fruition.
Yudhiṣṭhira, guided through the post-mortem realms, witnesses frightening scenes: deceptive śālmalī trees covered with sharp thorns and the severe punishments meted out to sinful beings.