Adhyaya 12 — The Son Describes the Narakas: Mahāraurava, Tamas, Nikṛntana, Apratiṣṭha, Asipatravana, and Taptakumbha
प्राप्यते ब्राह्मणश्रेष्ठ यावद्दुष्कृतसंक्षयः ।
निकृन्तन इति ख्यातस्ततो ’न्यो नरकोत्तमः ॥
prāpyate brāhmaṇaśreṣṭha yāvad duṣkṛta-saṃkṣayaḥ /
nikṛntana iti khyātas tato 'nyo narakottamaḥ
Wahai yang terbaik antara para brāhmaṇa, tempat itu dialami hingga kehabisan segala perbuatan jahat seseorang. Ia dikenal sebagai Nikṛntana; sesudah itu ada lagi suatu neraka lain yang paling utama.
{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "bhayanaka", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
Punishment is proportional and finite: it lasts ‘until demerit is exhausted.’ The verse teaches moral causality and accountability while also implying that suffering is not eternal but conditioned by karma.
Didactic dharma material and cosmography of lower realms; it supports Purāṇic instruction on conduct by describing karmaphala, often integrated into loka descriptions.
‘Nikṛntana’ (cutting) can be read as the painful severing of entrenched vāsanās (habitual tendencies). The ‘exhaustion of demerit’ suggests purification through the burning away of karmic residues.