Shloka 35

Yama-mārga (Adhvan) and the Courts of Yama: Vaivasvatī and Chitragupta

Devanagari script

नानाप्रहारणाग्रैश्च नानायन्त्रैस्तथा परे / छिद्यन्ते पापकर्माणः क्रकचैः काष्ठवद्द्विधा

Transliteration

nānāprahāraṇāgraiśca nānāyantraistathā pare / chidyante pāpakarmāṇaḥ krakacaiḥ kāṣṭhavaddvidhā

Translation

ที่นั่นด้วยปลายคมของอาวุธนานาชนิดและเครื่องทรมานต่าง ๆ ผู้ทำบาปถูกตัดเฉือน และถูกเลื่อยผ่าเป็นสองดุจท่อนไม้

Word by Word

• nānāprahāraṇāgraiḥ: with the sharp edges of various weapons
• nānāprahāraṇāgraiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nānā (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + prahāraṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + agra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (नानाविध-प्रहारणानाम् अग्रैः = with the sharp points/edges of various weapons)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• nānāyantraiḥ: with various devices/engines
• nānāyantraiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nānā (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + yantra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (नानाविधानि यन्त्राणि)

• tathā: also, likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/प्रकारवाचक (adverb)

• pare: others
• pare: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• chidyante: are cut
• chidyante: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: chid (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)

• pāpakarmāṇaḥ: evil-doers
• pāpakarmāṇaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष/कर्मधारय (पापं कर्म येषां ते)

• krakacaiḥ: with saws
• krakacaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: krakaca (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन

• kāṣṭhavat: like wood
• kāṣṭhavat: Sambandha (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kāṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक) + vat (तद्धित)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमानवाचक (indeclinable of comparison)

• dvidhā: in two, into two parts
• dvidhā: Sambandha (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dvidhā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (adverb)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Naraka

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Pāpa yields embodied suffering; the ‘cutting’ symbolizes fragmentation caused by adharma and violence.

Vedantic Theme: Saṃsāric bondage through harmful action; experiential retribution as a mirror of one’s inflicted harms.

Application: Avoid हिंसा (violence), cruelty, and exploitation; cultivate compassion and non-injury to prevent corresponding vipāka.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bibhatsa

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Geographic Context

Type: execution/torture yard

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: yantra/torture devices and weapon imagery recurring across naraka descriptions

Characters & Entities

• Yama
• Yamadutas

FAQs

What is the importance of sins and punishments in the Garuda Purana?

This verse presents a graphic consequence of pāpa-karma, using the image of sawing to stress moral accountability and the inevitability of results after death in Yama’s domain.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul after death?

In the Preta Kanda narrative, the departed who carry heavy sinful karma are led into punitive regions where they undergo torment through weapons and instruments—symbolizing the fruition of their actions.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Treat it as a warning to reduce harmful actions, cultivate dharma, and adopt ethical self-restraint; the text frames suffering as the downstream outcome of repeated wrongdoing.