Varaha Purana 198.23: Adhyaya 198, Shloka 23
Description of the Torments within the Cycle of Rebirth: Hymn to Yama and the Introduction to Citragupta’s Administration
Uttara Bhāga · Dharma-yama-saṃvāda (Request: vision of Yama’s realm and karmic outcomes)
द्रष्टुमिच्छाम्यहं देव तव देशं यथातथम् ॥ पापानां च शुभानां च या गतिस्त्विह दृश्यते
draṣṭumicchāmyahaṃ deva tava deśaṃ yathātatham || pāpānāṃ ca śubhānāṃ ca yā gatistviha dṛśyate
draShTumichChAmyahaM deva tava deshaM yathAtatham || pApAnAM cha shubhAnAM cha yA gatistviha dRRishyate
देव, मैं आपका राज्य देखना चाहता हूँ, जैसे भी है। और यहाँ जो लोग पाप करते हैं और जो अच्छे काम करते हैं, उनका क्या होता है वो भी दिखाओ।
Sandhi Notes
- draṣṭumicchāmyahaṃ = draṣṭum icchāmi ahaṃ
- gatistviha = gatiḥ tu iha
Ṛṣiputra
May I directly witness your realm and the respective destinies (gati) of the sinful and the virtuous as they are actually administered.
Desire to know dharma through pratyakṣa-like demonstration (seeing consequences) rather than mere hearsay.
Contemplate consequences of actions (through scripture, exemplars, or guided reflection) to align conduct with śubha.
Karmic causality is knowable through observation/teaching: pāpa leads to adverse gati, śubha leads to auspicious gati; the seeker requests experiential verification.
Understanding the visible outcomes of pāpa/puṇya strengthens dharmic resolve and deters wrongdoing; ignorance fosters repeated transgression.
Varāha Purāṇa: lead-in to Citragupta and karmic records (198.26–28)
FAQs
It documents a Purāṇic interest in moral causality made visible—didactic ‘seeing’ functions as a narrative device for ethical education.
The verse mentions “your domain” (tava deśa) in a general sense; it is not a terrestrial location with a modern identification.
It reinforces that actions are believed to have differentiated consequences (gati) for harmful and beneficial conduct.
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