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Shloka 21

Glory of Āśvina Pūrṇimā and Dvādaśī Gifts: Bhakti, Proper Giving, and a Redemption Narrative

सूत उवाच । तावत्कालं ततो विप्र निरये स पपात ह । ततोऽप्यश्मगृहे नागयोनौ जातः सुदुःखितः

sūta uvāca | tāvatkālaṃ tato vipra niraye sa papāta ha | tato'pyaśmagṛhe nāgayonau jātaḥ suduḥkhitaḥ

Sūta berkata: “Maka, wahai brāhmaṇa, selama tempoh itu dia jatuh ke neraka. Sesudahnya dia lahir semula—amat sengsara—di ‘rumah batu’, dalam yoni (keturunan) ular.”

sūtaḥSūta (the narrator)
sūtaḥ:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootsūta (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)
uvācasaid
uvāca:
Kriyā (क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Root√vac (धातु)
Formलिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद (Parasmaipada)
tāvat-kālamfor that long a time
tāvat-kālam:
Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण)
TypeAdjective
Roottāvat (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययप्राय) + kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
Formकर्मधारय समास (Karmadhāraya: tāvat eva kālaṃ); पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); कालपरिमाण (duration)
tataḥthen/thereupon
tataḥ:
Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
TypeIndeclinable
Roottataḥ (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय, अपादान/क्रमबोधक (then/from there)
vipraO Brahmin
vipra:
Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
TypeNoun
Rootvipra (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), संबोधन विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)
nirayein hell
niraye:
Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootniraya (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)
saḥhe
saḥ:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Roottad (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); सर्वनाम (pronoun)
papātafell
papāta:
Kriyā (क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Root√pat (धातु)
Formलिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद (Parasmaipada)
haindeed/it is said
ha:
Sambandha-bodhaka (सम्बन्धबोधक)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootha (अव्यय)
Formस्मरण/वृत्तान्तबोधक निपात (expletive particle)
tataḥthen
tataḥ:
Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
TypeIndeclinable
Roottataḥ (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय, क्रमबोधक (then)
apialso/even
api:
Sambandha-bodhaka (सम्बन्धबोधक)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootapi (अव्यय)
Formनिपात (particle: also/even)
aśma-gṛhein a stone-house (stone enclosure)
aśma-gṛhe:
Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootaśman (प्रातिपदिक) + gṛha (प्रातिपदिक)
Formतत्पुरुष समास (Tatpuruṣa: aśmano gṛham); नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)
nāga-yonauin the womb/species of a serpent
nāga-yonau:
Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootnāga (प्रातिपदिक) + yoni (प्रातिपदिक)
Formतत्पुरुष समास (Tatpuruṣa: nāgasya yoniḥ); स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), सप्तमी विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)
jātaḥwas born
jātaḥ:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeVerb
Root√jan (धातु)
Formक्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); कर्तरि प्रयोगे ‘born’
su-duḥkhitaḥvery miserable
su-duḥkhitaḥ:
Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootsu (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + duḥkhita (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); उपसर्गपूर्वक विशेषण (intensified adjective)

Sūta

Concept: Karmic suffering unfolds in stages: naraka-experience followed by constrained rebirth; misery continues until the causal pattern is exhausted or transformed.

Application: Do not postpone ethical repair; seek corrective practices early (confession, restitution, vrata, devotion) to prevent long karmic tails.

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Type: celestial_realm

Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Sūta narrates as the scene shifts from a smoky, iron-gated Naraka to a dim human dwelling where a ‘stone-house’ existence begins—serpent-born, cramped, and sorrowful. The soul is shown as a faint luminous thread moving from the hell-gate into the cold stone-and-earth world, emphasizing continuity of consequence.","primary_figures":["Sūta (narrator)","Suffering serpent-born being (symbolic)","Yamadūtas (distant silhouettes)"],"setting":"Transition corridor between hell realm and earthly/subterranean rebirth; a cramped stone-lined chamber near a household foundation.","lighting_mood":"forest dappled","color_palette":["smoke black","rust red","stone gray","dim amber","moss green"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: narrative transition panel—left a stylized Naraka gate with fiery tones, right a stone-lined chamber with serpent-born figure, Sūta as narrator in a corner medallion, gold leaf used to outline the soul-thread and architectural borders, rich reds and greens with ornate framing.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: sequential storytelling in two registers, delicate smoke washes for Naraka, cool gray stones for the rebirth chamber, a thin luminous line indicating transmigration, refined figures and restrained pathos.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlined Naraka arch and stone chamber, flat yet expressive color blocks, Sūta depicted with manuscript, rhythmic border motifs, strong narrative readability.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: decorative split-scene with ornate borders, stylized flames and stone patterns as motifs, deep blues and gold accents, narrative medallions framing Sūta’s recitation."}

Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"emotional","sound_elements":["low drone","distant wails (subtle)","wind through stone corridors","soft bell fade"]}

Sandhi Resolution Notes: tato'pyaśmagṛhe = tataḥ api aśma-gṛhe.

S
Sūta

FAQs

It presents a karmic sequence: wrongdoing leads to suffering in naraka (hell), followed by further suffering through an unfavorable rebirth (here, nāga-yoni), emphasizing moral causality across lives.

The speaker is Sūta (Sūta uvāca). The vocative “vipra” indicates he is addressing a brāhmaṇa/learned listener (the specific named interlocutor is not given in this single verse).

“Nāga-yoni” literally means “serpent womb/species,” indicating rebirth as a serpent/nāga—used in Purāṇic narratives as an example of a painful or constrained embodiment resulting from prior karma.