Shloka 45
सामान्यतो नरकगतिवर्णनम्
General Description of the Course of Hell / Naraka-gati
वदनांतः प्रविन्यस्तां सुप्रतप्तामयोगदाम् । ते खादन्ति पराधीनास्तैस्ताड्यंते समुद्गरैः
vadanāṃtaḥ pravinyastāṃ suprataptāmayogadām | te khādanti parādhīnāstaistāḍyaṃte samudgaraiḥ
ಅವರ ಬಾಯಿಗಳನ್ನು ಬಲವಂತವಾಗಿ ತೆರೆದು, ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿ ಕಾದ ಕಬ್ಬಿಣದ ಕಣೆಯನ್ನು ಒಳಗೆ ಹಾಕಲಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಅವರು ಅಧೀನರಾಗಿ ಅದನ್ನು ಕಚ್ಚುತ್ತಾರೆ ಮತ್ತು ಭಾರೀ ಮುದ್ಗರಗಳಿಂದ ಹೊಡೆಯಲ್ಪಡುತ್ತಾರೆ.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Mahākāla
Jyotirlinga: Mahākāleśvara
Sthala Purana: Mahākāla as the Lord of Time grants protection from untimely death and ripens karma; the Jyotirliṅga tradition centers on Śiva manifesting as Mahākāla to safeguard devotees and establish dharma (general Mahākāleśvara sthala-purāṇa motif).
Significance: Seeking release from fear of death/time, relief from heavy karma, and steadiness in Śiva-bhakti; famed for early-morning worship traditions.
Type: mahamrityunjaya
Shakti Form: Kālī
Role: destructive
FAQs
It vividly portrays the suffering that follows actions done in ignorance and bondage (pāśa). From a Shaiva Siddhanta lens, it warns that the soul (paśu) bound by karma must face its results until it turns toward Pati (Shiva) for purification and release.
Such descriptions function as a deterrent and a call to refuge: worship of Saguna Shiva through the Linga is presented across the Purana as a compassionate means to cleanse karma, cultivate dharma, and move the bound soul toward Shiva’s grace.
The implied takeaway is repentance and corrective practice: steady japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), along with Shaiva disciplines like Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and devotion at the Linga, to reduce karmic bondage and purify conduct.