Varaha Purana 198.80: Adhyaya 198, Shloka 80

Description of the Torments within the Cycle of Rebirth: Hymn to Yama and the Introduction to Citragupta’s Administration

Uttara Bhāga · Punitive Imagery (Naraka/torment descriptions)

Devanagari script

अथान्ये बहवस्तत्र बहुभिश्चापि दूतकैः ॥ कूटशाल्मलिमारोप्य लोहकण्टकसंवृताम्

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 198.80

Transliteration

athānye bahavas tatra bahubhiś cāpi dūtakaiḥ || kūṭa-śālmalim āropya loha-kaṇṭaka-saṁvṛtām

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

फिर वहाँ बहुत लोग थे। बहुत दौत उनको उठा के ले गए। उनको एक धोखा वाला पेड़ चढ़ाया जिसमे लोहे के काँटे लगे थे।

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Word by Word

• अथ: then
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: अव्यय (discourse particle: 'then/now')
• Role: अनुक्रम/प्रस्ताव (sequencing)
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)

• अन्ये: others
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन
• Role: कर्ता (Karta/कर्ता)
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)

• बहवः: many
• Type: Adjective
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण (of अन्ये)
• Role: कर्ता-विशेषण
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक)

• तत्र: there
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (locative adverb)
• Role: अधिकरण (location)
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)

• बहुभिः: with many
• Type: Adjective
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; विशेषण (of दूतकैः)
• Role: सहकारि/करण (association/instrument)
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक)

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)
• Role: समुच्चय (connector)
• Root: च (अव्यय)

• अपि: also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: अव्यय (particle: 'also/even')
• Role: सम्बन्ध/बल (emphasis/addition)
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)

• दूतकैः: by messengers
• Type: Noun
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन
• Role: करण/कर्ता (agents in passive/means)
• Root: दूतक (प्रातिपदिक)

• कूटशाल्मलिम्: the spiked silk-cotton tree (kūṭa-śālmalī)
• Type: Noun
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन
• Role: कर्म (Karma/कर्म)
• Root: कूट + शाल्मलि (प्रातिपदिक)

• आरोप्य: having made (someone) climb / having mounted
• Type: Verb
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययभाव (gerund/absolutive); 'having mounted/caused to mount'
• Role: पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (prior action)
• Root: आ+√रुह् (धातु)

• लोहकण्टकसंवृताम्: covered with iron thorns
• Type: Adjective
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; क्त (PPP) विशेषण (of कूटशाल्मलिम्)
• Role: कर्म-विशेषण (qualifier of object)
• Root: लोह + कण्टक + संवृत (प्रातिपदिक; √वृ धातु-आश्रित)

Sandhi Notes

• अथान्ये=अथ+अन्ये
• बहवस्तत्र=बहवः+तत्र (विसर्ग-लोप)
• बहुभिश्चापि=बहुभिः+च+अपि
• कूटशाल्मलिम् is a karmadhāraya compound
• लोहकण्टकसंवृताम् is a tatpuruṣa compound with PPP 'संवृत'

Speaker and setting

Bhayanaka and Bibhatsa rasaSetting: Otherworldly punitive landscape

The teaching

Kind of teaching

Desire and deception critique

Subjects

CosmologyEthics

Core idea

What appears attractive (kūṭa/false) can be a trap; unchecked desire and deceit ripen into self-wounding consequences.

In practice

Practice discernment (viveka), restrain harmful desire, and avoid exploiting others through alluring false promises.

Dharma

Cross references

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Afterlife
• Motif Studies

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

The ‘thorny śālmali tree’ is a recurring motif across Purāṇic and Dharmaśāstric descriptions of punitive realms, useful for intertextual mapping of narrative themes.

Which geographic location is identified?

No historical geography is specified; the ‘śālmali’ here functions as a mythic punitive device rather than a botanical reference to a real landscape.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The imagery conveys deterrence and accountability—wrong actions are represented as leading to painful consequences.