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Vamana Purana — Sukesha's Boon & Twelve Dharmas, Shloka 49

Sukesha’s Boon, the Twelve Dharmas of Beings, and the Cosmography of the Seven Dvipas with the Twenty-One Hells

Devanagari script

सुकेशिरुवाच कियन्त्येतानि रौद्राणि नरकाणि तपोधनः कियन्मात्राणि मार्गेण का च तेषु स्वरूपता

Transliteration

sukeśiruvāca kiyantyetāni raudrāṇi narakāṇi tapodhanaḥ kiyanmātrāṇi mārgeṇa kā ca teṣu svarūpatā

Translation

Sinabi ni Sukeśin: “O tapodhana, asetikong sagana sa pag-aayuno at pagsasanay, ilan ang mga kakila-kilabot na impiyernong ito? Gaano kalawak ang saklaw nila sa landas, at ano ang kanilang anyo at katangian?”

Word by Word
सुकेशिःSukeśi
सुकेशिः:
कर्ता (Karta)
TypeNoun
Rootसुकेशि (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन
उवाचsaid
उवाच:
क्रिया (Kriyā)
TypeVerb
Rootवच् (धातु)
Formलिट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद
कियन्तिhow many
कियन्ति:
विशेषण (Viśeṣaṇa)
TypeAdjective
Rootकियत् (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; प्रश्न-विशेषण (‘how many’)
एतानिthese
एतानि:
कर्ता/कर्म (Subject/Object; with ‘how many’)
TypeNoun
Rootएतद् (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम
रौद्राणिfierce
रौद्राणि:
विशेषण (Viśeṣaṇa)
TypeAdjective
Rootरौद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; विशेषण
नरकाणिhells
नरकाणि:
विषय/कर्म (Topic/Object of question)
TypeNoun
Rootनरक (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन
तपोधनः(you) whose wealth is austerity; O ascetic
तपोधनः:
सम्बोधन (Sambodhana)
TypeNoun
Rootतपस् + धन (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सम्बोधनार्थे (used as address/title)
कियत्how much / what extent
कियत्:
विशेषण (Viśeṣaṇa)
TypeAdjective
Rootकियत् (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; प्रश्न-विशेषण (‘how much/what extent’)
मात्राणिmeasures/extent
मात्राणि:
कर्म (Karma; object of implied ‘are’)
TypeNoun
Rootमात्रा (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन
मार्गेणby the path / along the route
मार्गेण:
करण (Karaṇa; ‘by way/along the path’)
TypeNoun
Rootमार्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन
काwhat (is)
का:
कर्ता (Karta; of implied ‘is’)
TypeNoun
Rootकिम् (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; प्रश्न-सर्वनाम
चand
च:
समुच्चय (Coordination)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootच (अव्यय)
Formसमुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)
तेषुin them / among those
तेषु:
अधिकरण (Adhikaraṇa; ‘among/in them’)
TypeNoun
Rootतद् (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम
स्वरूपताnature/character
स्वरूपता:
कर्म/विषय (Predicate-noun; nature/character)
TypeNoun
Rootस्वरूपता (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन
Speakers
Sukeśin (questioner) to Ṛṣis (respondents; addressed as tapodhana)
Key Themes
Karma and retributionAfterlife cosmologyDharmic instructionMoral causality (pāpa-phala)
Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

{ "primaryRasa": "adbhuta", "secondaryRasa": "bhayanaka", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

FAQs

The question frames naraka not as arbitrary punishment but as a structured moral order: actions (karma) have definite consequences, describable in number, measure, and character. The didactic intent is deterrence from adharma and reinforcement of accountability.

This passage aligns most closely with dharma/karma-phalavāda and cosmological description rather than the five hallmark topics; within pancalakṣaṇa mapping it is ancillary to sarga/pratisarga cosmography (world-structure including infernal regions), not vaṃśa or vaṃśānucarita.

By asking for “number, measure, and nature,” the text symbolically presents moral law as orderly and knowable—an intelligible cosmos where even suffering realms have defined contours, underscoring that ethical causality is not chaotic.

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