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Shloka 38

Post-cremation Ripening of Karma and the Principal Narakas

Devanagari script

प्रवाति तेन पात्यन्ते तेषां खड्गास्तथोपरि / छिन्नाः पतन्ति ते भूमौ ज्वलत्पावकसंचये

Transliteration

pravāti tena pātyante teṣāṃ khaḍgāstathopari / chinnāḥ patanti te bhūmau jvalatpāvakasaṃcaye

Translation

ด้วยแรงลมอันเกรี้ยวกราดนั้น ดาบที่อยู่เหนือพวกเขาถูกพัดให้ร่วงลงมา; ดาบที่ขาดสะบั้นตกถึงพื้นและตกลงสู่กองเพลิงที่ลุกโชติช่วง.

Word by Word
प्रवातिblows (as wind)
प्रवाति:
Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootप्र√वा (धातु)
Formलट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद
तेनby that; thereby
तेन:
Karana (Instrument/करण)
TypeNoun
Rootतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)
पात्यन्तेare made to fall; are felled
पात्यन्ते:
Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootपत् (धातु)
Formलट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural), आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive sense)
तेषाम्of them
तेषाम्:
Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
TypeNoun
Rootतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formषष्ठी (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural)
खड्गाःswords
खड्गाः:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootखड्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)
तथाthus; likewise
तथा:
Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतथा (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)
उपरिabove; overhead
उपरि:
Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootउपरि (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)
छिन्नाःcut; severed
छिन्नाः:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeAdjective
Rootछिद् (धातु) + त (कृत् प्रत्यय)
Formभूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (Past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)
पतन्तिfall
पतन्ति:
Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootपत् (धातु)
Formलट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural), परस्मैपद
तेthey
ते:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)
भूमौon the ground
भूमौ:
Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootभूमि (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)
ज्वलत्पावकसंचयेin a heap of blazing fire
ज्वलत्पावकसंचये:
Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootज्वलत् (√ज्वल्, कृदन्त) + पावक (प्रातिपदिक) + संचय (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular); समासः—तत्पुरुष (कर्मधारय-तत्पुरुषभावः): ज्वलत्-पावकः (blazing fire) + संचयः (heap)
Speaker

Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Naraka

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Cruel, harmful actions ripen into proportionate suffering; instruments of violence become instruments of punishment.

Vedantic Theme: Karma-phala-niyati (inevitability of results) within saṃsāra; fear as a spur toward vairāgya.

Application: Restrain हिंसा (violence), cultivate compassion and self-control; use the imagery as a deterrent and ethical mirror.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa

Geographic Context

Type: forest/torment-field

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa 2.3.39-42 (continuation of Asipatravana/Taptakumbha sequence)

Characters & Entities
P
Pretas
Y
Yama's attendants

FAQs

This verse uses vivid, physical imagery—falling swords and blazing fire—to stress that harmful actions (pāpa) lead to specific, unavoidable consequences in Yama’s domain, reinforcing moral accountability.

Within the Preta Kanda narrative, the departed being encounters punitive regions governed by Yama’s order; the verse depicts one such torment, illustrating how the preta experiences the results of accumulated karma.

Live with restraint and non-violence, avoid injuring others, and practice dharma; the teaching is that ethical conduct reduces destructive karmic outcomes described in the afterlife accounts.

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