Shloka 18

Vaitaraṇī: Torments of the Sinful, Sins Enumerated, and the Vaitaraṇī Go-dāna Rite

Devanagari script

एते वसन्ति सततं मा विचारं कृथाः क्वचित् / कृपणो नास्तिकः क्षुद्रः स तस्यां निवसेत्खग

Transliteration

ete vasanti satataṃ mā vicāraṃ kṛthāḥ kvacit / kṛpaṇo nāstikaḥ kṣudraḥ sa tasyāṃ nivasetkhaga

Translation

เหล่าสัตว์เหล่านี้พำนักอยู่ที่นั่นตลอดกาล—อย่าได้สงสัยไม่ว่าเมื่อใด คนตระหนี่ ผู้ไม่ศรัทธา และผู้ใจคับแคบ—ย่อมอาศัยอยู่ในสภาพ/สถานที่นั้นแน่นอน โอ้พญานก (ครุฑ)!

Word by Word

• एते: these (persons)
• एते: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural); सर्वनाम-शब्द (pronoun)

• वसन्ति: live, dwell
• वसन्ति: Kriya (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural); परस्मैपद

• सततम्: always, continually
• सततम्: Kriya-visheshana (क्रियाविशेषण/Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सतत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

• मा: do not
• मा: Pratishedha (प्रतिषेध/Prohibition)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मा (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (prohibitive particle)

• विचारम्: thought, consideration
• विचारम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विचार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• कृथाः: do, make
• कृथाः: Kriya (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन (Singular); परस्मैपद

• क्वचित्: anywhere, ever
• क्वचित्: Desha-kala-adhikarana (देशकाल-अधिकरण/Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्वचित् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

• कृपणः: a miser, wretch
• कृपणः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृपण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• नास्तिकः: an atheist, unbeliever
• नास्तिकः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नास्तिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• क्षुद्रः: base, petty
• क्षुद्रः: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्षुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (qualifier)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• तस्याम्: in that (river/place)
• तस्याम्: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular); सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• निवसेत्: would dwell, should live
• निवसेत्: Kriya (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-√वस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/Potential), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular); परस्मैपद

• खग: O bird (Garuda)
• खग: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: खग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Naraka

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Persistent inner dispositions (kṛpaṇatā, nāstikya, kṣudratā) anchor the jīva to painful states; do not doubt karmic certainty.

Vedantic Theme: Saṃskāra and vāsanā shape destiny; inner character is causal, not merely external ritual identity.

Application: Cultivate generosity, faith in moral causality (āstikya), and magnanimity; practice self-audit of motives and attitudes.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: assurances about naraka residences and certainty of Yama’s order (immediate context)

Characters & Entities

• Garuda

FAQs

What is the importance of miserliness (kṛpaṇatā) in the Garuda Purana?

This verse treats miserliness as a binding fault that leads one to an adverse post-death abode/condition, emphasizing dāna (charity) and generosity as protective dharma.

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

It indicates that specific moral qualities—like stinginess, denial of dharma (nāstikatā), and pettiness—determine where a being ‘dwells’ in the afterlife, reflecting karma-based allocation of post-mortem states.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Cultivate generosity, faith in ethical accountability, and largeness of mind; avoid habitual stinginess and contemptuous pettiness, since these traits are presented as karmically consequential.