Shloka 32
देवतापितृप्रश्नः — Nārada at Badarīāśrama: the ultimate referent of daiva and pitṛ worship
उष्णां वैतरणीं महानदी- मवगाढो5सिपत्रवनभिन्नगात्र: | परशुवनशयो निपतितो वसति च महानिरये भृशार्त:
uṣṇāṃ vaitaraṇīṃ mahānadīm avagāḍho ’sipattra-vanabhinna-gātraḥ | paraśu-vanaśayo nipatito vasati ca mahāniraye bhṛśārtaḥ ||
Vyāsa disse: Mergulhado no abrasador grande rio Vaitaraṇī, seus membros são rasgados e dilacerados na floresta de folhas como espadas; lançado ao chão, ele deve deitar-se sobre a floresta de machados. Assim, caído no grande inferno, fica gravemente atormentado e, sem poder reagir, é forçado a habitar ali.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores karmic moral causality: unethical actions lead to severe post-mortem consequences. By vividly depicting hellish punishments, it aims to restrain wrongdoing and encourage dharmic conduct through awareness of accountability beyond this life.
Vyāsa describes the suffering of a sinner in the afterlife: the person is forced into the burning river Vaitaraṇī, then cut apart in the Asipattravana, and made to lie in the Paraśuvana. Overwhelmed by pain, the being remains trapped in the great hell.