Shloka 15

Merit of Causeways and Crossings, Temple Construction Rewards, and the Rudrākṣa Mahātmya

Devanagari script

तत्राह धर्मराजस्तु कालानलसमप्रभः । नयतैनं फलं शूरा दुर्गतिं चापुनर्भवम्

Transliteration

tatrāha dharmarājastu kālānalasamaprabhaḥ | nayatainaṃ phalaṃ śūrā durgatiṃ cāpunarbhavam

Translation

ເມື່ອນັ້ນ ພະທັມມະຣາຊ ຜູ້ສ່ອງສະຫວ່າງດັ່ງໄຟແຫ່ງກາລ ໄດ້ກ່າວວ່າ: “ໂອ ວີຣະຊົນ, ຈົ່ງນຳເຂົາໄປສູ່ຜົນແຫ່ງກຳ—ສູ່ທຸກຄະຕິອັນທຸກທ້ອນ ແລະສູ່ອປຸນະພະວະ ຄືບໍ່ໃຫ້ຫວນເກີດອີກ.”

Word by Word

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb: 'there')

• āha: said
• āha: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ah (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• dharma-rājaḥ: Dharma-king (Yama)
• dharma-rājaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक) + rāja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (धर्मस्य राजा/धर्मराजः)

• tu: indeed
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधारणार्थक

• kāla-anala-sama-prabhaḥ: whose radiance is like Time’s fire
• kāla-anala-sama-prabhaḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक) + anala (प्रातिपदिक) + sama (प्रातिपदिक) + prabhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः—'यस्य प्रभा कालानलसमा' (whose radiance is like the fire of Time)

• nayata: lead (you all)
• nayata: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: nī (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• enam: him
• enam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/सामान्य, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम (enam = 'this him')

• phalam: fruit/result
• phalam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• śūrāḥ: O heroes/guards
• śūrāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śūra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; संबोधनार्थेऽपि सम्भवः (O heroes)

• durgatim: bad state/hellish fate
• durgatim: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: durgati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

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

• a-punar-bhavam: non-return/non-rebirth
• a-punar-bhavam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: a- (नञ्) + punar (अव्यय) + bhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः/नञ्-तत्पुरुषः ('no rebirth')

Speaker

Dharmarāja (Yama)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: raudra

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Geographic Context

Type: celestial_realm

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: dharmarājastu → dharma-rājaḥ + tu; kālānalasamaprabhaḥ → kāla-anala-sama-prabhaḥ; nayatainaṃ → nayata + enam; cāpunarbhavam → ca + a-punar-bhavam.

Characters & Entities

• Dharmarāja (Yama)
• Kāla (Time)
• Anala (Fire)
• Śūrāḥ (attendants/warriors)

FAQs

Who is speaking in this verse and to whom?

Dharmarāja (Yama), the lord of justice and the afterlife, is speaking, addressing “śūrāḥ,” understood as his attendants or enforcers who carry out karmic judgment.

What does “kālānala-samaprabhaḥ” imply about Dharmarāja?

It portrays Dharmarāja as awe-inspiring and inexorable—his splendor is compared to the consuming “fire of Time,” emphasizing the inevitability of judgment and karmic consequence.

What is the ethical lesson conveyed by “phala” and “durgati” here?

The verse stresses karmic moral causality: actions yield results (“phala”), and wrongdoing can lead to “durgati” (a bad end). It frames justice as the orderly unfolding of deeds into consequences.