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Shloka 21

Glory of Āśvina Pūrṇimā and Dvādaśī Gifts: Bhakti, Proper Giving, and a Redemption Narrative

सूत उवाच । तावत्कालं ततो विप्र निरये स पपात ह । ततोऽप्यश्मगृहे नागयोनौ जातः सुदुःखितः

sūta uvāca | tāvatkālaṃ tato vipra niraye sa papāta ha | tato'pyaśmagṛhe nāgayonau jātaḥ suduḥkhitaḥ

Sūta nói: “Bấy giờ, hỡi bà-la-môn, trong chừng ấy thời gian, người ấy rơi vào địa ngục. Sau đó lại tái sinh—khốn khổ và đầy đau đớn—trong ‘nhà đá’, thuộc loài (yoni) rắn.”

sūtaḥSūta (the narrator)
sūtaḥ:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootsūta (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)
uvācasaid
uvāca:
Kriyā (क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Root√vac (धातु)
Formलिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद (Parasmaipada)
tāvat-kālamfor that long a time
tāvat-kālam:
Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण)
TypeAdjective
Roottāvat (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययप्राय) + kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
Formकर्मधारय समास (Karmadhāraya: tāvat eva kālaṃ); पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); कालपरिमाण (duration)
tataḥthen/thereupon
tataḥ:
Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
TypeIndeclinable
Roottataḥ (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय, अपादान/क्रमबोधक (then/from there)
vipraO Brahmin
vipra:
Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
TypeNoun
Rootvipra (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), संबोधन विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)
nirayein hell
niraye:
Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootniraya (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)
saḥhe
saḥ:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Roottad (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); सर्वनाम (pronoun)
papātafell
papāta:
Kriyā (क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Root√pat (धातु)
Formलिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद (Parasmaipada)
haindeed/it is said
ha:
Sambandha-bodhaka (सम्बन्धबोधक)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootha (अव्यय)
Formस्मरण/वृत्तान्तबोधक निपात (expletive particle)
tataḥthen
tataḥ:
Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
TypeIndeclinable
Roottataḥ (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय, क्रमबोधक (then)
apialso/even
api:
Sambandha-bodhaka (सम्बन्धबोधक)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootapi (अव्यय)
Formनिपात (particle: also/even)
aśma-gṛhein a stone-house (stone enclosure)
aśma-gṛhe:
Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootaśman (प्रातिपदिक) + gṛha (प्रातिपदिक)
Formतत्पुरुष समास (Tatpuruṣa: aśmano gṛham); नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)
nāga-yonauin the womb/species of a serpent
nāga-yonau:
Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootnāga (प्रातिपदिक) + yoni (प्रातिपदिक)
Formतत्पुरुष समास (Tatpuruṣa: nāgasya yoniḥ); स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), सप्तमी विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)
jātaḥwas born
jātaḥ:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeVerb
Root√jan (धातु)
Formक्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); कर्तरि प्रयोगे ‘born’
su-duḥkhitaḥvery miserable
su-duḥkhitaḥ:
Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootsu (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + duḥkhita (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); उपसर्गपूर्वक विशेषण (intensified adjective)

Sūta

Concept: Karmic suffering unfolds in stages: naraka-experience followed by constrained rebirth; misery continues until the causal pattern is exhausted or transformed.

Application: Do not postpone ethical repair; seek corrective practices early (confession, restitution, vrata, devotion) to prevent long karmic tails.

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Type: celestial_realm

Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Sūta narrates as the scene shifts from a smoky, iron-gated Naraka to a dim human dwelling where a ‘stone-house’ existence begins—serpent-born, cramped, and sorrowful. The soul is shown as a faint luminous thread moving from the hell-gate into the cold stone-and-earth world, emphasizing continuity of consequence.","primary_figures":["Sūta (narrator)","Suffering serpent-born being (symbolic)","Yamadūtas (distant silhouettes)"],"setting":"Transition corridor between hell realm and earthly/subterranean rebirth; a cramped stone-lined chamber near a household foundation.","lighting_mood":"forest dappled","color_palette":["smoke black","rust red","stone gray","dim amber","moss green"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: narrative transition panel—left a stylized Naraka gate with fiery tones, right a stone-lined chamber with serpent-born figure, Sūta as narrator in a corner medallion, gold leaf used to outline the soul-thread and architectural borders, rich reds and greens with ornate framing.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: sequential storytelling in two registers, delicate smoke washes for Naraka, cool gray stones for the rebirth chamber, a thin luminous line indicating transmigration, refined figures and restrained pathos.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlined Naraka arch and stone chamber, flat yet expressive color blocks, Sūta depicted with manuscript, rhythmic border motifs, strong narrative readability.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: decorative split-scene with ornate borders, stylized flames and stone patterns as motifs, deep blues and gold accents, narrative medallions framing Sūta’s recitation."}

Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"emotional","sound_elements":["low drone","distant wails (subtle)","wind through stone corridors","soft bell fade"]}

Sandhi Resolution Notes: tato'pyaśmagṛhe = tataḥ api aśma-gṛhe.

S
Sūta

FAQs

It presents a karmic sequence: wrongdoing leads to suffering in naraka (hell), followed by further suffering through an unfavorable rebirth (here, nāga-yoni), emphasizing moral causality across lives.

The speaker is Sūta (Sūta uvāca). The vocative “vipra” indicates he is addressing a brāhmaṇa/learned listener (the specific named interlocutor is not given in this single verse).

“Nāga-yoni” literally means “serpent womb/species,” indicating rebirth as a serpent/nāga—used in Purāṇic narratives as an example of a painful or constrained embodiment resulting from prior karma.