Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 5.26.11

ye tv iha yathaivāmunā vihimsitā jantavah paratra yama-yātanām upagatam ta eva ruravo bhūtvā tathā tam eva vihimsanti tasmād rauravam ity āhū rurur iti sarpād ati-krūra-sattvasyāpadeśah

SYNONYMS

ye — those who; tu — but; iha — in this life; yathā — as much as; eva — certainly; amunā — by him; vihimsitāh — who were hurt; jantavah — the living entities; paratra — in the next life; yama-yātanām upagatam — being subjected to miserable conditions by Yamarāja; te — those living entities; eva — indeed; ruravah — rurus (a kind of envious animal); bhūtvā — becoming; tathā — that much; tam — him; eva — certainly; vihimsanti — they hurt; tasmāt — because of this; rauravam — Raurava; iti — thus; āhuh — learned scholars say; ruruh — the animal known as ruru; iti — thus; sarpāt — than the snake; ati-krūra — much more cruel and envious; sattvasya — of the entity; apadeśah — the name.

TRANSLATION

In this life, an envious person commits violent acts against many living entities. Therefore after his death, when he is taken to hell by Yamarāja, those living entities who were hurt by him appear as animals called rurus to inflict very severe pain upon him. Learned scholars call this hell Raurava. Not generally seen in this world, the ruru is more envious than a snake.

PURPORT

According to Śrīdhara Svāmī, the ruru is also known as the bhāra-śrińga (ati-krūrasya bhāra-śrińgākhya-sattvasya apadeśah samjñā). Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī confirms this in his Sandarbha: ruru-śabdasya svayam muninaiva tīkā-vidhānāl lokeshv aprasiddha evāyam jantu-viśeshah. Thus although rurus are not seen in this world, their existence is confirmed in the śāstras.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness