Shloka 34

सामान्यतो नरकगतिवर्णनम्

General Description of the Course of Hell / Naraka-gati

Devanagari script

लौहकुम्भे विनिःक्षिप्ताः श्वसन्तश्च शनैःशनैः । महाग्निना प्रपच्यंते स्वपापैरेव मानवाः

Transliteration

lauhakumbhe viniḥkṣiptāḥ śvasantaśca śanaiḥśanaiḥ | mahāgninā prapacyaṃte svapāpaireva mānavāḥ

Translation

Dilemparkan ke dalam belanga besi, sambil bernapas sedikit demi sedikit, manusia dimasak tuntas oleh api besar—semata-mata oleh dosa mereka sendiri.

Word by Word

• lauha-kumbhe: in an iron pot
• lauha-kumbhe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lauha (प्रातिपदिक) + kumbha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (लौहस्य कुम्भः)

• viniḥ-kṣiptāḥ: (they) having been thrown/placed
• viniḥ-kṣiptāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṣip (क्षिप् धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त/कृदन्त), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); उपसर्गः वि+निः

• śvasantaḥ: breathing/gasping
• śvasantaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śvas (श्वस् धातु)
• Form: Present active participle (शतृ/कृदन्त), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

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

• śanaiḥ: slowly
• śanaiḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: śanaiḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय)

• śanaiḥ: very slowly/again and again slowly
• śanaiḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: śanaiḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय); पुनरुक्ति (reduplication for emphasis)

• mahā-agninā: by a great fire
• mahā-agninā: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + agni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन); कर्मधारयः (महान् अग्निः)

• prapacyante: are cooked/tormented
• prapacyante: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra+√pac (पच् धातु)
• Form: Present tense (लट्), Passive voice (कर्मणि प्रयोग), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Plural (बहुवचन); उपसर्गः प्र

• sva-pāpaiḥ: by their own sins
• sva-pāpaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक) + pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Plural (बहुवचन); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (स्वस्य पापानि)

• eva: indeed/only
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Emphatic particle (निश्चय/अवधारण-अव्यय)

• mānavāḥ: men/humans
• mānavāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mānava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Purana’s teaching to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Shiva Form: Kālāntaka

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in the Shiva Purana?

It teaches that suffering is not arbitrary punishment but the ripening of one’s own karma (pāpa). In Shaiva Siddhanta terms, bondage (pāśa) tightens through wrongful action, and liberation comes by purification, right conduct, and Śiva’s grace.

How does this verse relate to the worship of the Linga or Saguna Shiva?

The verse underscores moral accountability and the need for purification; Linga-worship of Saguna Śiva is presented in the Purana as a means to cleanse pāpa, cultivate devotion, and align oneself with dharma so that karmic bondage diminishes.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is pāpa-śodhana through Śiva-bhakti: japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), sincere repentance with restraint (niyama), and regular Śiva-pūjā (optionally with bhasma/tripundra and rudrākṣa) to reform conduct and purify karma.