Shloka 8

Pātāla and Naraka Enumeration; Brahmāṇḍa-Āvaraṇa and Nārāyaṇa’s Pervasion

Devanagari script

पापिनस्तेषु पच्यन्ते विषशस्त्राग्निदायिनः / उपर्युपरि वै लोका रुद्र ! भूतादयः स्थिताः

Transliteration

pāpinasteṣu pacyante viṣaśastrāgnidāyinaḥ / uparyupari vai lokā rudra ! bhūtādayaḥ sthitāḥ

Translation

ในนรกเหล่านั้น คนบาปถูกต้มเผา—ผู้ให้ยาพิษ ผู้ทำร้ายด้วยอาวุธ และผู้วางเพลิง และโอ้ รุทระ! เหนือขึ้นไปเป็นลำดับยังมีโลกทั้งหลาย ที่ซึ่งหมู่สัตว์ตั้งแต่ภูตะเป็นต้นไปสถิตอยู่

Word by Word

पापिनःsinners

तेषुin those (hells)

पच्यन्तेare cooked/tormented

विषशस्त्राग्निदायिनःthose who administer poison, weapons, and fire

उपरिabove

उपरिabove (and above)

वैindeed

लोकाःworlds/realms

रुद्रO Rudra

भूतादयःbeings and the rest (groups beginning with beings)

स्थिताःare situated

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Naraka

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Violent transgressions (poisoning, weapon-injury, arson) yield intense punitive heat; existence is layered by ontological and karmic status.

Vedantic Theme: Adhyāropa of cosmology to teach dharma; karma-phala administered within a structured cosmos under divine governance.

Application: Renounce intentional harm: no poisoning (literal or systemic), no violence, no arson/destruction; adopt protective ethics and conflict de-escalation.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: raudra

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Geographic Context

Type: vertical cosmological strata (loka hierarchy)

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: sins leading to specific punishments; cosmological passages that segue from naraka to loka structure

Characters & Entities

Rudra

Bhūtas

FAQs

What is the importance of sins like poisoning, assault with weapons, and arson in the Garuda Purana?

This verse groups them as grave, harm-causing acts that lead to intense post-death suffering in specific tormenting realms, emphasizing karma’s direct moral causality.

How does this verse explain the structure of the afterlife worlds (lokas)?

It indicates a vertical ordering—realms arranged “one above another”—with different classes of beings (beginning with Bhūtas) occupying higher strata, suggesting a layered cosmology beyond the punitive regions.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Avoid harm-by-intent actions—poisoning (including covert harm), violence, and destructive fire-setting—and cultivate non-injury (ahiṃsā), accountability, and restitution, aligning conduct with dharma to reduce negative karmic outcomes.