Shloka 6

नरक-निर्णयः, पाप-कर्म-फल-व्यवस्था, प्रायश्चित्त-क्रमः, तथा हरि-स्मरण-परमत्वम्

Devanagari script

यमस्य विषये घोराः शस्त्राग्निभयदायिनः पतन्ति येषु पुरुषाः पापकर्मरतास् तु ये

Transliteration

yamasya viṣaye ghorāḥ śastrāgnibhayadāyinaḥ patanti yeṣu puruṣāḥ pāpakarmaratās tu ye

Translation

யமனின் அச்சமூட்டும் ஆட்சிப்பரப்பில் ஆயுதமும் அக்கினியும் பயமளிக்கும் பகுதிகள் உள்ளன; பாவச் செயல்களில் பற்றுடைய மனிதர்கள் அவற்றில் வீழ்கிறார்கள்।

Word by Word

• यमस्य: of Yama
• यमस्य: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन

• विषये: in the domain
• विषये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विषय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• घोराः: terrible
• घोराः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घोर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying implied 'नरकाः')

• शस्त्राग्निभयदायिनः: giving fear from weapons and fire
• शस्त्राग्निभयदायिनः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शस्त्र (प्रातिपदिक) + अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक) + भय (प्रातिपदिक) + दायिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (शस्त्र-अग्नि-भयम् ददाति इति)

• पतन्ति: they fall
• पतन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √पत् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन

• येषु: in which (hells)
• येषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• पुरुषाः: men / persons
• पुरुषाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• पापकर्मरताः: devoted to sinful acts
• पापकर्मरताः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + कर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + रत (कृदन्त; √रम् धातु, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (पापे कर्मणि रताः)

• तु: but / indeed
• तु: Prayojaka/Contrast (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/विशेषार्थक निपात (but/indeed)

• ये: who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya)

Cosmological Context

Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas (Yama’s viṣaya/dominion governing naraka regions)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Those who delight in sinful action fall into Yama’s fearful domains, where karmic fear manifests as weapons and fire.

Vedantic Theme: Karma

Application: Transform ‘ratā’ (attachment) from sin to virtue: redirect habits through satsanga, vows, and devotional remembrance to break harmful compulsions.

Vishishtadvaita: Yama’s rule exemplifies delegated divine governance: real moral causality operates within the Lord’s ordered universe, preserving both justice and the possibility of reform.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Narayana (cosmic)

Characters & Entities

• Yama
• Naraka (implied)
• Pāpa (sinful action, implied as a moral force)

FAQs

What is the significance of Yama’s realm in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse presents Yama’s domain as an instrument of cosmic justice where the consequences of pāpa (sinful conduct) manifest as terrifying experiences, reinforcing dharma as the stabilizing law of the universe.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the fate of those devoted to sinful actions?

Parāśara states that people attached to pāpakarma “fall” into dreadful regions in Yama’s jurisdiction—symbolizing that sustained unethical action naturally culminates in painful post-death outcomes.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Even when discussing Yama and punishment, the Purana’s framework implies a Vishnu-governed moral cosmos: karmic law and its enforcers function within the supreme order upheld by Vishnu as ultimate reality and sovereign.