Shloka 24
Svargārohaṇa-parva Adhyāya 2 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry for His Kin and the Vision of a Punitive Realm
करम्भवालुकास्तप्ता आयसीश्व शिला:पृथक् । लोहकुम्भी श्व॒ तैलस्य क्वाथ्यमाना: समन्ततः
karambha-vālukās taptā āyasīś ca śilāḥ pṛthak | loha-kumbhī ca tailasya kvāthyamānāḥ samantataḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Di sesetengah tempat, timbunan pasir bercampur bubur (karambha) membara panas; di tempat lain, kepingan besi besar diletakkan berasingan. Dan di sekeliling, minyak sedang dididihkan dalam kawah-kawah besi.” Pemandangan itu menebalkan suasana pembalasan: jalan di hadapan digambarkan sebagai hamparan panas yang menghukum dan menyeksa, mengingatkan akibat adharma dan kejahatan yang terkumpul.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse reinforces the Mahābhārata’s ethical vision that actions bear consequences: adharma and moral failure culminate in suffering, portrayed through vivid punitive imagery. The narrative uses sensory detail (heat, iron, boiling oil) to make karmic retribution emotionally and morally tangible.
Vaiśampāyana describes a terrifying environment encountered on the way—scorching sand and gruel-like hot deposits, iron slabs, and iron cauldrons of boiling oil all around—setting the tone for a passage that depicts ordeal and the harsh landscape associated with posthumous judgment and suffering.