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ŚB 5.26.11

ये त्विह यथैवामुना विहिंसिता जन्तव: परत्र यमयातनामुपगतं त एव रुरवो भूत्वा तथा तमेव विहिंसन्ति तस्माद्रौरवमित्याहू रुरुरिति सर्पादतिक्रूरसत्त्वस्यापदेश: ॥ ११ ॥
ye tv iha yathaivāmunā vihiṁsitā jantavaḥ paratra yama-yātanām upagataṁ ta eva ruravo bhūtvā tathā tam eva vihiṁsanti tasmād rauravam ity āhū rurur iti sarpād ati-krūra-sattvasyāpadeśaḥ.

Synonyms

yethose who; tubut; ihain this life; yathāas much as; evacertainly; amunāby him; vihiṁsitāḥwho were hurt; jantavaḥthe living entities; paratrain the next life; yama-yātanām upagatambeing subjected to miserable conditions by Yamarāja; tethose living entities; evaindeed; ruravaḥrurus (a kind of envious animal); bhūtvābecoming; tathāthat much; tamhim; evacertainly; vihiṁsantithey hurt; tasmātbecause of this; rauravamRaurava; itithus; āhuḥlearned scholars say; ruruḥthe animal known as ruru; itithus; sarpātthan the snake; ati-krūramuch more cruel and envious; sattvasyaof the entity; apadeśaḥthe 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-śṛṅga (ati-krūrasya bhāra-śṛṅgākhya-sattvasya apadeśaḥ saṁjñā). Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī confirms this in his Sandarbha: ruru-śabdasya svayaṁ muninaiva ṭīkā-vidhānāl lokeṣv aprasiddha evāyaṁ jantu-viśeṣaḥ. Thus although rurus are not seen in this world, their existence is confirmed in the śāstras.