Agni Purana — Yoga & Brahma-vidya, Shloka 28
Chapter 370: नरकनिरूपणम्
Naraka-nirūpaṇa) — Description of Hell (with the physiology of dying and the subtle transition
यन्त्रेषु पीडयन्ति स्म भक्ष्यन्ते वायसादिभिः तैलेनोष्णेन सिच्यन्ते छिद्यन्ते नैकघा शिरः
yantreṣu pīḍayanti sma bhakṣyante vāyasādibhiḥ tailenoṣṇena sicyante chidyante naikaghā śiraḥ
ಅವರನ್ನು ಯಂತ್ರಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಒತ್ತಿ ಪೀಡಿಸುತ್ತಾರೆ; ಕಾಗೆ ಮೊದಲಾದವುಗಳು ಅವರನ್ನು ಭಕ್ಷಿಸುತ್ತವೆ. ಬಿಸಿ ಎಣ್ಣೆಯಿಂದ ನೆನೆಸುತ್ತಾರೆ; ಅವರ ತಲೆಗಳನ್ನು ಅನೇಕ ರೀತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಕತ್ತರಿಸುತ್ತಾರೆ।
Unspecified (Purāṇic narrator)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Philosophy","practical_application":"Reinforcing ethical conduct and self-restraint by depicting mechanized and bodily torments as karmic outcomes; supports prāyaścitta motivation.","sutra_style":false}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Description","entry_title":"Naraka-yātanā: yantra-pīḍana, pakṣi-bhakṣaṇa, uṣṇa-taila-seka, śiraś-cheda","lookup_keywords":["yantra","uṣṇa-taila","vayasa","śiraś-cheda","naraka-yātanā"],"quick_summary":"The verse lists further hell-torments—crushing in machines, being eaten by birds, scalding with hot oil, and various beheadings—serving as a catalog of karmic retribution imagery."}
Alamkara Type: Vyatireka-like intensification via piling (accumulation)
Weapon Type: Beheading implements (sword/axe implied)
Concept: Actions generate fitting experiences; cruelty and transgression rebound as intensified suffering.
Application: Cultivate non-harm, truth, and restraint; undertake confession and expiation where prescribed to avert severe karmic fruition.
Khanda Section: Yoga & Brahma-vidyā
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: raudra
Type: Kingdom
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Infernal machinery crushes bodies; crows peck at victims; attendants pour boiling oil; executioners perform multiple forms of beheading in a grim tableau.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, stylized yantra device with rollers, black crows in angular flight, attendants with oil vessels, symbolic beheading scene kept non-gory, fiery background with lotus-border framing","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, central infernal apparatus with gold ornamentation (stylized), surrounding vignettes of crow attack and hot-oil pouring, strong reds and gold, temple-like framing to emphasize moral warning","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, diagrammatic clarity of 'yantra' crushing device, sequential storytelling panels, fine brushwork, restrained violence, emphasis on didactic narrative flow","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, intricate mechanical press depiction, naturalistic birds, attendants in uniform, architectural hellscape, detailed textiles and metalwork, dramatic but controlled composition"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"epic","suggested_raga":"Kedar","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"epic"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: तैलेनोष्णेन = तैलेन + उष्णेन; नैकघा = न + एकधा (vowel sandhi: न + ए → नै).
Related Themes: Agni Purana naraka-varṇana chain (370.26–370.29)
FAQs
It lists being pressed in machines, being devoured by crows and similar creatures, being drenched with hot oil, and having the head cut in various ways.
Literally it means “in instruments/contrivances (yantra)”; in this context it denotes devices used for punishment, which may be read as literal mechanisms within the narrative description.