Shloka 43

Devanagari script

एतान्य् अन्यानि चोग्राणि दुःखानि मरणे नृणाम् शृणुष्व नरके यानि प्राप्यन्ते पुरुषैर् मृतैः

Transliteration

etāny anyāni cogrāṇi duḥkhāni maraṇe nṛṇām śṛṇuṣva narake yāni prāpyante puruṣair mṛtaiḥ

Translation

เหล่านี้และความทุกข์อันร้ายแรงอื่นๆ อีกมากเกิดแก่มนุษย์ในยามมรณะ—บัดนี้จงฟัง: ทรมานในนรกภูมิที่เหล่ามนุษย์เมื่อสิ้นชีวิตแล้วต้องประสบ

Word by Word

• एतानि: these
• एतानि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), बहुवचन; विशेषण—दुःखानि इति पदस्य

• अन्यानि: other
• अन्यानि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), बहुवचन; विशेषण—दुःखानि

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक निपात (conjunction)

• उग्राणि: terrible
• उग्राणि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उग्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), बहुवचन; विशेषण—दुःखानि

• दुःखानि: sufferings
• दुःखानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुःख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन; कर्म—शृणुष्व इति क्रियायाः

• मरणे: at death
• मरणे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरण (locative)

• नृणाम्: of men
• नृणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• शृणुष्व: hear (listen)
• शृणुष्व: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन

• नरके: in hell
• नरके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरण

• यानि: which
• यानि: Sambandha (Relative)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धक—दुःखानि इत्यस्य विशेषणम् (relative pronoun)

• प्राप्यन्ते: are attained/experienced
• प्राप्यन्ते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र√आप् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive sense)

• पुरुषैः: by persons
• पुरुषैः: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; कर्तृ-करण (agent in passive)

• मृतैः: dead
• मृतैः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मृत (कृदन्त, √मृ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; विशेषण—पुरुषैः

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Enumeration of narakas and the sufferings experienced there after death

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: compassionate

Cosmological Context

Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The text frames naraka-sufferings as a pedagogical disclosure: hearing and reflecting on them is meant to turn humans away from adharma before death arrives.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Use ‘maraṇa-smṛti’ (mindfulness of death) to reform habits now—truthfulness, non-harm, charity, and devotion.

Vishishtadvaita: Moral instruction presupposes real agency of the jīva under the Lord’s governance; fear of naraka becomes a preliminary aid leading toward bhakti and prapatti.

Characters & Entities

• Parāśara
• Maitreya
• Naraka (hell-realms)
• Humans (nṛṇām/puruṣa)

FAQs

What is the significance of Naraka in the Vishnu Purana?

In this verse, Naraka functions as the post-death arena where karmic consequences become directly experienced—highlighting dharma as a real cosmic law within Vishnu’s ordered universe.

How does Sage Parashara explain the sufferings connected with death?

He frames them as multiple, severe pains that arise at death and continue as specific torments in hell-realms, presented didactically to Maitreya as a warning and moral instruction.

The theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the teaching presupposes a universe ruled by a supreme moral order—where outcomes after death unfold under the sovereignty of the Supreme Reality upheld in Vaishnava theology.