Agni Purana — Yoga & Brahma-vidya, Shloka 23
Chapter 370: नरकनिरूपणम्
Naraka-nirūpaṇa) — Description of Hell (with the physiology of dying and the subtle transition
नरकान्विद्धि कोटीशनागन्वै घोरदर्शनान् पात्यन्ते पापकर्माण एकैकस्मिन्बहुष्वपि
narakānviddhi koṭīśanāganvai ghoradarśanān pātyante pāpakarmāṇa ekaikasminbahuṣvapi
当知地狱有百俱胝之多，实为骇目可怖；作恶之罪人被投掷而下，各各堕入一狱，亦有堕入多狱者。
Lord Agni (narrating to sage Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purāṇa’s instructional frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Cosmology","practical_application":"Instills accountability by emphasizing the vastness and specificity of karmic outcomes; supports ethical governance and personal conduct.","sutra_style":false}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Description","entry_title":"Naraka-bahutva (Koṭiśaḥ narakāḥ) and Allocation of Sinners","lookup_keywords":["koṭiśaḥ narakāḥ","ghora-darśana","pāpakarman","ekaika-naraka","bahuṣu"],"quick_summary":"Teaches that hell-realms are innumerable and terrifying, and that sinners may be assigned to one or multiple hells according to deeds—underscoring graded retribution."}
Concept: Karma is multi-factorial; consequences can be singular or cumulative, mirroring the complexity of actions and intentions.
Application: Adopt layered ethical discipline: avoid repeated minor harms (which can accumulate), and perform corrective acts (dāna, vrata, prāyaścitta) where tradition prescribes.
Khanda Section: Naraka-varnana (Afterlife, Karma, and Hells)
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A panoramic underworld map with countless compartments fading into darkness; streams of souls directed by attendants into different gates, some led through multiple gates indicating multiple punishments.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, vast multi-register underworld with innumerable small gates, attendants guiding figures; emphasis on scale and repetition, dark palette with fiery accents, ornate frame.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting as a cosmic chart: gold-highlighted gates and borders, many small labeled portals, central axis showing judgment and distribution; rich reds and blacks with gold embossing.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style schematic: a clean ‘map’ of many narakas with arrows showing allocation to one or many; fine linework, captions, instructional clarity.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature panorama: receding architecture of countless doorways, processions of figures, subtle atmospheric perspective into darkness; cartouches noting ‘koṭiśaḥ’ multiplicity."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"warning","suggested_raga":"Darbari Kanada","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: नरकान्विद्धि = नरकान् + विद्धि. कोटीशनागान्वै = कोटीशत् + नागान् + वै (orthography varies). एकैकस्मिन्बहुष्वपि = एकैकस्मिन् + बहुषु + अपि.
Related Themes: Agni Purana: Naraka-varṇana catalogue (370.20–370.24)
FAQs
It conveys karmic jurisprudence: sinful actions (pāpa-karma) result in being cast into specific hell-realms (naraka), emphasizing moral causality rather than a ritual procedure.
Alongside ritual, polity, medicine, and poetics, the Agni Purāṇa also systematizes afterlife cosmology—cataloging hells and karmic outcomes—thus functioning as a broad compendium of dharma and its consequences.
It underlines that consequences are individualized and proportionate: each sinner is assigned to an appropriate hell, and grave or compounded sins can yield multiple punishments.