Shloka 10
Bhadrā and Mitravindā: The Fruits of Namaskāra, Pradakṣiṇā, Hari-nāma, and Śravaṇa of Bhāgavata Kathā
तेषां जिह्वा यमलोके यमस्तु निष्कास्य पिष्टं प्रकरोति नित्यम् / काशीनिवासेन च किं प्रयोजनं किं वा प्रयागे मरणेन तात
teṣāṃ jihvā yamaloke yamastu niṣkāsya piṣṭaṃ prakaroti nityam / kāśīnivāsena ca kiṃ prayojanaṃ kiṃ vā prayāge maraṇena tāta
యమలోకంలో యముడు వారి నాలుకను బయటకు లాగి నిత్యం రుబ్బుతుంటాడు. భక్తి లేనిదే కాశీలో నివసించడం వల్ల గానీ, ప్రయాగలో మరణించడం వల్ల గానీ ఏం ప్రయోజనం?
Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Afterlife Stage: Naraka
Concept: Tīrtha-vāsa or tīrtha-maraṇa alone is insufficient; without Hari-nāma and devotion, one remains subject to Yama’s punishments.
Vedantic Theme: Inner transformation (antaḥkaraṇa-śuddhi) over external conditions; grace accessed through devotion rather than mere geography.
Application: If living/visiting sacred places, pair it with nāma-japa, worship, ethical living; avoid spiritual complacency based on location or ritual prestige.
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Type: realm (Yamaloka) with earthly tīrtha references
Related Themes: Garuda Purana: critique of mere ritualism without devotion (general motif)
FAQs
This verse uses a vivid punishment—Yama extracting and grinding the tongue—to stress moral causality: specific sins produce specific consequences, and ritual or location alone cannot erase them.
It implies that after death the soul is judged in Yama-loka according to karma; if burdened by sin, it undergoes retribution regardless of whether one lived in Kāśī or died at Prayāga.
Treat pilgrimage and sacred-place practices as supports—not substitutes—for ethical speech and conduct; cultivate truthfulness and restraint so that outer rites align with inner dharma.