Srimad Bhagavatam — Panchama Skandha, Shloka 14

Naraka-varṇana: The Hellish Planets and the Karmic Logic of Punishment

Devanagari script

यस्त्विह ब्रह्मध्रुक स कालसूत्रसंज्ञके नरके अयुतयोजनपरिमण्डले ताम्रमये तप्तखले उपर्यधस्तादग्‍न्‍यर्काभ्यामतितप्यमानेऽभिनिवेशित: क्षुत्पिपासाभ्यां च दह्यमानान्तर्बहि:शरीर आस्ते शेते चेष्टतेऽवतिष्ठति परिधावति च यावन्ति पशुरोमाणि तावद्वर्षसहस्राणि ॥ १४ ॥

Transliteration

yas tv iha brahma-dhruk sa kālasūtra-saṁjñake narake ayuta-yojana-parimaṇḍale tāmramaye tapta-khale upary-adhastād agny-arkābhyām ati-tapyamāne ’bhiniveśitaḥ kṣut-pipāsābhyāṁ ca dahyamānāntar-bahiḥ-śarīra āste śete ceṣṭate ’vatiṣṭhati paridhāvati ca yāvanti paśu-romāṇi tāvad varṣa-sahasrāṇi.

Translation

杀害婆罗门者被投入名为“迦罗苏多罗”(Kālasūtra)的地狱；其地狱周匝广达阿由多由旬，通体为铜。下有烈火炙烤，上有骄阳灼烧，铜地炽热难当。彼罪人内受饥渴焚烧，外受日火灼热，故时而卧、时而坐、时而立、时而奔走。其受苦之年数，以一兽身上毛发之数为千年计。

Synonyms

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Relative pronoun (सर्वनाम), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात)

• iha: here
• iha: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iha (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण)

• brahma-dhruk: a violator of brahma (Brahmin/Veda)
• brahma-dhruk: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक) + dhruk (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa: 'one who harms Brahmins/Veda' (brahmaṇaḥ dhruk); Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun (सर्वनाम), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• kālasūtra-saṁjñake: in the hell called Kālasūtra
• kālasūtra-saṁjñake: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kālasūtra (प्रातिपदिक) + saṁjñaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa: 'having the designation Kālasūtra'; Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Locative (सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन); qualifies narake

• narake: in hell
• narake: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: naraka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Locative (सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन)

• ayuta-yojana-parimaṇḍale: in the (region) of ten-thousand-yojana extent
• ayuta-yojana-parimaṇḍale: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ayuta (प्रातिपदिक) + yojana (प्रातिपदिक) + parimaṇḍala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (measure-determinative): 'having a circumference/extent of ten-thousand yojanas'; Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग) or Masculine agreeing with naraka (here Locative singular as adjective): Locative (सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन)

• tāmra-maye: in/among (things) made of copper
• tāmra-maye: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tāmra (प्रातिपदिक) + mayaṭ (मयट् प्रत्यय)
• Form: Adjectival derivative (मयट्): 'made of copper'; Locative (सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन); agrees with (narake/khale) context

• tapta-khale: on a heated ground
• tapta-khale: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapta (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक) + khala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Karmadhāraya: 'heated threshing-floor/ground'; Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Locative (सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन)

• upari: above
• upari: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: upari (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण) 'above'

• adhastāt: below
• adhastāt: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: adhastāt (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण) 'below/from below'

• agni-arkābhyām: by fire and the sun
• agni-arkābhyām: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: agni (प्रातिपदिक) + arka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Dvandva: 'fire and sun'; Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Instrumental (तृतीया), Dual (द्विवचन)

• ati-tapyamāne: while being intensely heated
• ati-tapyamāne: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ati-tap (धातु) + śānac (शानच्)
• Form: Present passive participle (शानच्), Locative (सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन); 'while being intensely heated' (context: khala/naraka)

• abhiniveśitaḥ: placed/forced in
• abhiniveśitaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: abhi-ni-viś (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त-कृदन्त), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); qualifies saḥ

• kṣut-pipāsābhyām: by hunger and thirst
• kṣut-pipāsābhyām: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣut (प्रातिपदिक) + pipāsā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Dvandva: 'hunger and thirst'; Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग) (as pair), Instrumental (तृतीया), Dual (द्विवचन)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय)

• dahyamāna-antar-bahiḥ-śarīraḥ: with body burning inside and out
• dahyamāna-antar-bahiḥ-śarīraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dahyamāna (दह् धातु + शानच्) + antar (अव्यय) + bahiḥ (अव्यय) + śarīra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Bahuvrīhi: 'whose body (inside and outside) is being burnt'; Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• āste: he sits/remains
• āste: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ās (धातु)
• Form: Present (लट्), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• śete: he lies down
• śete: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śī (धातु)
• Form: Present (लट्), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• ceṣṭate: he writhes/moves
• ceṣṭate: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ceṣṭ (धातु)
• Form: Present (लट्), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• avatiṣṭhati: he stands/stays
• avatiṣṭhati: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ava-sthā (धातु)
• Form: Present (लट्), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• paridhāvati: he runs about
• paridhāvati: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pari-dhāv (धातu)
• Form: Present (लट्), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय)

• yāvanti: as many as
• yāvanti: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yāvat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Relative adjective (परिमाणवाचक), Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); correlates with tāvat

• paśu-romāṇi: animal hairs
• paśu-romāṇi: Adhikarana (अधिकरण; measure-correlative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paśu (प्रातिपदिक) + roman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa: 'hairs of an animal'; Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

• tāvat: that many
• tāvat: Kāla-adhikarana (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tāvat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Correlative adjective (तावत्), Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया), Plural (बहुवचन); modifies varṣa-sahasrāṇi

• varṣa-sahasrāṇi: thousands of years
• varṣa-sahasrāṇi: Kāla-adhikarana (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa: 'thousands of years'; Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया), Plural (बहुवचन)

Characters & Entities

• Śukadeva Gosvāmī
• Mahārāja Parīkṣit

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about Kāla-sūtra naraka?

In Canto 5, Chapter 26, Śukadeva describes Kāla-sūtra as a hell where brahma-dhruk offenders are placed on a blazing copper surface and tormented by heat, hunger, and thirst for an extremely long duration.

Why did Śukadeva Gosvāmī describe hellish planets to Mahārāja Parīkṣit?

He explains the consequences of sinful and anti-dharmic actions so that Parīkṣit (and listeners) develop detachment from sin, fear of offense, and seriousness about spiritual life and devotion.

Practical application of this teaching in modern life?

Avoid harming or disrespecting sacred knowledge, truthful conduct, and saintly persons; cultivate humility and dharma, and take shelter of bhakti to purify tendencies that lead to grave offenses.