Shloka 11
Vaitaraṇī: Torments of the Sinful, Sins Enumerated, and the Vaitaraṇī Go-dāna Rite
विश्वासप्रतिपन्नानां स्वामिमित्रतपस्विनाम् / स्त्रीबालविकलादीनां वधं कृत्वा पतन्ति हि / पच्यन्ते तत्र मध्ये तु क्रन्दमानास्तु पापिनः
viśvāsapratipannānāṃ svāmimitratapasvinām / strībālavikalādīnāṃ vadhaṃ kṛtvā patanti hi / pacyante tatra madhye tu krandamānāstu pāpinaḥ
ผู้บาปที่ฆ่าผู้ซึ่งไว้วางใจตน—ไม่ว่าจะเป็นนาย มิตร หรือฤๅษีผู้บำเพ็ญตบะ—รวมทั้งสตรี เด็ก คนพิการ และอื่น ๆ ย่อมตกสู่นรกแน่นอน ที่นั่นท่ามกลางความทรมาน คนชั่วย่อมถูกต้มเผา พลางร่ำไห้คร่ำครวญด้วยทุกข์โศก
Lord Vishnu (in discourse to Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Afterlife Stage: Naraka
Concept: Harming the trusting and the vulnerable (guru-like figures, dependents) produces severe papa leading to naraka.
Vedantic Theme: Karma-phala-niyati (inevitability of results); adharma as bondage-producing action.
Application: Protect dependents; never exploit trust; cultivate ahiṃsā and guardianship toward women, children, disabled, and ascetics.
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Type: hell-realm (naraka)
Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: catalogues of narakas and papa-karmas (adjacent verses in 2.47); Garuda Purana: Yama’s punishments for hiṃsā, guru-droha, and strī-vadha themes recur across Pretakalpa sections
FAQs
This verse frames such killing—especially of those under one’s protection or those who are vulnerable—as a grave adharma that leads to Naraka, emphasizing protective duty and non-violence as core ethical obligations.
By naming victims who relied on the killer’s trust (master, friend, ascetic) and the defenseless (women, children, disabled), it links betrayal and cruelty to a specific post-mortem fall into Yama’s punishments where the sinner suffers intense torment.
Do not exploit trust or power over dependents; uphold protection of the vulnerable, practice ahimsa, and treat guardianship—family, social, or professional—as a dharmic responsibility.