Why Some Japakas Fall to Hell

Verse 1 (12.195.1)

गतीनामुत्तमा प्राप्तिः कथिता जापकेष्विह । एकैवैषा गतिस्तेषामुत यान्त्यपरामपि ॥

gatīnāmuttamā prāptiḥ kathitā jāpakeṣviha | ekaivaiṣā gatisteṣāmuta yāntyaparāmapi

The highest attainment among goals has been declared here for the japakas. Is this their only goal, or do they go to other destinations as well?

Note on the text: The page's footnote cites यतीनाम् as a variant for गतीनाम्; the main text is kept.

Verse 2 (12.195.2)

शृणुष्वावहितो राजञ्जापकानां गतिं विभो । यथा गच्छन्ति निरयमनेकं पुरुषर्षभ ॥

śṛṇuṣvāvahito rājañjāpakānāṃ gatiṃ vibho | yathā gacchanti nirayamanekaṃ puruṣarṣabha

Listen attentively, O king, to the destination of japakas, O mighty one - how they come to hell in its many forms, O best of men.

Note on the text: Corrected शृणु वहितो → शृणुष्वावहितो (garbled in Wikisource; the form वहितो is not a word, the intended शृणुष्व + अवहितः is what the CE reads: śṛṇuṣvāvahito).

Verse 3 (12.195.3)

यथोक्तमेतत्पूर्वं यो नानुतिष्ठति जापकः । एकदेशक्रियश्चात्र निरयं स निगच्छति ॥

yathoktametatpūrvaṃ yo nānutiṣṭhati jāpakaḥ | ekadeśakriyaścātra nirayaṃ sa nigacchati

A japaka who does not follow what was said before, and does only a part of the rite, goes to hell.

Note on the text: Removed the stray doubled daṇḍa Wikisource prints after line 1. The page's footnote (12-195-3) glosses एकदेशक्रियः as one who does an incomplete japa.

Verse 4 (12.195.4)

अवमानेन कुरुते न तुष्यति न शोचति । ईदृशो जापको याति निरयं नात्र संशयः ॥

avamānena kurute na tuṣyati na śocati | īdṛśo jāpako yāti nirayaṃ nātra saṃśayaḥ

He who does it with disrespect, neither pleased nor sorry - a japaka of this kind goes to hell; there is no doubt of it.

Note on the text: Wikisource's अवमानेन against the CE's avajñānena is a recension variant, kept.

Verse 5 (12.195.5)

अहंकारकृतश्चैव सर्वे निरयगामिनः । परावमानी पुरुषो भविता निरयोपगः ॥

ahaṃkārakṛtaścaiva sarve nirayagāminaḥ | parāvamānī puruṣo bhavitā nirayopagaḥ

All who act out of egoism go to hell; the man who looks down on others will end up in hell.

Note on the text: Corrected निरयग्रामिनः → निरयगामिनः (misprint in Wikisource; ग्रा for गा; CE nirayagāminaḥ).

Verse 6 (12.195.6)

अभिध्यापूर्वकं जप्यं कुरुते यश्च मोहितः । यत्रास्य रागः पतति तत्रतत्रोपपद्यते ॥

abhidhyāpūrvakaṃ japyaṃ kurute yaśca mohitaḥ | yatrāsya rāgaḥ patati tatratatropapadyate

Whoever, deluded, performs japa with a covetous intent - wherever his attachment falls, there he is born again and again.

Note on the text: Line 1 = CE 12.190.6a (abhidhyāpūrvakaṃ japyaṃ kurute yaś ca mohitaḥ); line 2 = CE 12.190.8c (yatrāsya rāgaḥ patati tatra tatropajāyate), where the CE has 6c (yatrābhidhyāṃ sa kurute taṃ vai nirayam ṛcchati); recension variant, kept. The alignment matched this row to CE 12.190.8 (similarity 0.76) and left 12.190.6 unmatched.

Verse 7 (12.195.7)

अथैश्वर्यप्रसक्तः सञ्जापको यत्र रज्यते । स एव निरयस्तस्य नासौ तस्मात्प्रमुच्यते ॥

athaiśvaryaprasaktaḥ sañjāpako yatra rajyate | sa eva nirayastasya nāsau tasmātpramucyate

And the japaka who, attached to lordship, takes delight in it - that itself is hell for him; he is not freed from it.

Note on the text: Wikisource's अथैश्वर्यप्रसक्तः सञ्जापको यत्र रज्यते against the CE's athaiśvaryapravṛttaḥ sañ jāpakas tatra rajyate is a recension variant, kept.

Verse 8 (12.195.8)

रागेण जापको जप्यं कुरुते यश्च मोहितः । यत्रास्य रागः पतति तत्र तत्रोपजायते ॥

rāgeṇa jāpako japyaṃ kurute yaśca mohitaḥ | yatrāsya rāgaḥ patati tatra tatropajāyate

The japaka who, deluded by attachment, performs japa - wherever his attachment falls, there he is born again and again.

Note on the text: Line 1 corresponds to CE 12.190.8a (Wikisource: रागेण जापको जप्यं कुरुते यश्च मोहितः; CE: rāgeṇa jāpako japyaṃ kurute tatra mohitaḥ), a recension variant, kept; line 2 = CE 12.190.8c. The alignment found no match.

Verse 9 (12.195.9)

दुर्बुद्धिरकृतप्रज्ञश्चले मनसि तिष्ठति । फलस्यापचितिं याति निरयं चाधिगच्छति ॥

durbuddhirakṛtaprajñaścale manasi tiṣṭhati | phalasyāpacitiṃ yāti nirayaṃ cādhigacchati

The man of poor understanding and untrained mind, whose mind rests on unsteady things, comes to the loss of the fruit and goes to hell.

Note on the text: Wikisource's फलस्यापचितिं याति against the CE's calām eva gatiṃ yāti is a recension variant, kept.

Verse 10 (12.195.10)

अकृतप्रज्ञको बालो मोहं गच्छति जापकः । स मोहान्निरयं याति यत्र गत्वाऽनुशोचति ॥

akṛtaprajñako bālo mohaṃ gacchati jāpakaḥ | sa mohānnirayaṃ yāti yatra gatvā'nuśocati

The japaka of untrained understanding, a fool, falls into delusion; through delusion he goes to hell, where, having gone, he grieves.

Note on the text: Corrected अकृतव्रज्ञको → अकृतप्रज्ञको (misprint in Wikisource; व्र for प्र; CE akṛtaprajñako).

Verse 11 (12.195.11)

दृढग्राही करोमीति जाप्यं जपति जापकः । न संपूर्णो न वा युक्तो निरयं सोऽधिगच्छति ॥

dṛḍhagrāhī karomīti jāpyaṃ japati jāpakaḥ | na saṃpūrṇo na vā yukto nirayaṃ so'dhigacchati

The japaka who mutters his japa in a firm grip, thinking 'I am doing it', is neither complete nor disciplined; he goes to hell.

Verse 12 (12.195.12)

अनिमित्तं परं यत्तदव्यक्तं ब्रह्मणि स्थितम् । तद्भूतो जापकः कस्मात्सशरीरमिहाविशेत् ॥

animittaṃ paraṃ yattadavyaktaṃ brahmaṇi sthitam | tadbhūto jāpakaḥ kasmātsaśarīramihāviśet

That which is beyond cause, supreme, unmanifest, abiding in Brahman: why should a japaka who has become that enter a body here?

Note on the text: Speaker: the page prints no new speaker heading, so the verse stays with Bhishma, as in the input; the CE heads 12.190.12 as Yudhishthira's question and 12.190.13 as Bhishma's answer. Wikisource's तद्भूतो … सशरीरमिहाविशेत् against the CE's sadbhūto … sa śarīram athāviśet is a recension variant, kept.

Verse 13 (12.195.13)

दुष्प्रज्ञानेन निरया बहवः समुदाहृताः । प्रशस्तं जापकत्वं च दोषाश्चैते तदात्मकाः ॥

duṣprajñānena nirayā bahavaḥ samudāhṛtāḥ | praśastaṃ jāpakatvaṃ ca doṣāścaite tadātmakāḥ

Many hells have been described as arising from wrong understanding. The state of the japaka is praised, and these are the faults that belong to it.