Mahāvīci

Mahāvīci · mahā-vīci, “the great wave”

Mahāvīci is one of the narakas, the places of suffering ruled by Yama into which those who do pāpa (wrong deeds) are cast after death. It is full of blood and set with vajrakaṇṭakas, thorns as hard as the vajra, and it is ten thousand yojanas wide. One who has killed a cow lies fallen there for a lakh of years. It is the first naraka that Vyāsa describes to the munis in the Brahma Purāṇa.

Mahāvīci among the narakas

The munis ask Vyāsa, whose wealth is tapas, to tell them in full how those who do pāpa go along the southern road to Yama. Vyāsa tells of that dreadful road, of Yama’s court and of the reports of his dūtas. When a being’s fault is established, Yama commands his kiṅkaras, and they punish each offence in the very manner that Vasishṭha and the other maharshis laid down for it. With goads, clubs, saws, śaktis, tomaras, swords and śūlas they beat, cut and pierce the doers of pāpa, and so cleanse the pāpa.

Then Vyāsa says, “Hear the terrible form of the narakas and their measures,” and begins with Mahāvīci. It is full of blood mixed with thorns hard as the vajra, and it is ten thousand yojanas wide. The one who does pāpa is plunged into it and pierced and torn by the vajra-thorns. One who has killed a cow (go-hatyā) lies fallen there for a lakh of years. After it Vyāsa describes Kumbhīpāka.

At the end of his account Vyāsa says that those who turn away from dharma in mind, speech, body and deed must suffer the very dreadful torments of Yama-loka for thousands, lakhs and crores of years.

Source: Brahma Purāṇa, Chapter 215

Sources

• Brahma Purāṇa, Chapter 215