200 - Torments in Hell (Contd.) 

The Sage’s son (Nachiketas) said:

1-2. There are eight hells where the sinners are tormented, namely, Tapta, Mahātapta, Raurava, Maharaurava, Saptatăla, Kālasūtra, Andhakāra and Andhakaravara. 

3-4. They are first taken to the first, then to the second where the duration is twice, from there to the third where the duration is thrice, from there to the fourth where the duration is four times, then to the fifth where the duration is five times, then to the sixth where the duration is six times, then to the seventh where the duration is seven times and then to the eighth where the duration is eight times. 

5. The dead go there in the course of a single day and night and for those of them afflicted by sin, there is only misery and more misery. 

6. There is only misery there and no pleasure. The misery goes on increasing. There is no means at all there to get even a little happiness. 

7. Man, after death, is left there. There are no killers there, but he never gets pleasure through any of the senses- sound, touch, colour, taste or smell. 

8. He never gets pleasure, physical or mental. All that is there is sorrow lone. 

9. The earth there is full of hot and sharp iron nails and the sky is covered with flocks of birds with fiery tongues. 

10. Hunger is there much, so too thirst. But what is hot is too hot and what is cold is too cold (to eat or drink). 

11. When one wishes to drink water, one is taken by the Rakshasas to a pond having lotus and lilies and swans and cranes. 

12. But on reaching there in all eagerness, one finds the water boiling hot. 

13. The Rakshasas then bring cooked meat, but throw it in a pond of brackish water. 

14. (When one enters the pond for taking it) one is bitten by the numerous fish there. 

15. At the end of the assigned period, when one tries to run away, one gets the body fleshy for being tormented again. 

16. Whether sitting at the top or leaving or running, serious torment is absolutely certain. 

17. There is the abominable Kumbhīpāka which is a deep pit of dung shaped like a lotus leaf. 

18. The Räkshasas thrash the sinners there biting their lips in anger and exclaiming aloud. 

19. There is a forest of swords and another of red lead. The latter is strewn with red hot sand. 

20. There the sinners are burnt, cut, struck, hit, thrashed, dragged and dismembered. 

21. Black and spotted dogs bite them, so too do serpents and scorpions. 

22. There is the deceptive Shalmali tree with its numerous projecting thorns. They are dragged there till the body is lar with bones alone. 

23. All the torment and adversity for the sinner arise soon. 

24. When he wants coolness, he gets heat and when he wants warmth he gets coldness. When he desires pleasure, what he gets is sorrow. Pleasure he never can have. 

25. He always receives injuries in thousands all over his body and at all times. 

26. A furious river full of ferocious animals, has to be crossed. 

27. This is named Karambhavālukā. It is a hundred yojanas in length and is like blazing fire. 

28. Then there is the big river Vaitarani of bitter water, fifty yojanas long and five yojanas deep. 

29. It is deep in mud and is full of skin, flesh and bones. There are in it big scorpions with sharp teeth. 

30. There are owls as big as bows and ferocious and poisonous with tongues sharp enough to break bones. 

31. Somehow crossing this river of deep mud, some manage to reach the empty and supportless abodes there, 

32. Where, however, they are devoured by numerous rats leaving but the skeleton. 

32. But in the morning the body gets flesh again as soon as the wind wafts over it. 

34. Then there is a mango-grove where ferocious birds feed on the man eating up all his skin and flesh and veins, eyes and years. 

35. On the south, at a distance of three yojanas, is a banyan tree which glows always like an evening cloud. 

36. There is a big fire-place called Yamachulli, ten yojanas deep. 

37. It always burns and is ever blinding with its smoke. 

38. Thousands of dead are thrown into it incessantly by the Rākşhasas, servants of Yama. In this fire-place they are to remain for a month. 

39. Then there is the river called Shakunika which is full of fat and morrow. 

40. These proceeds from the interior of the Yamachulli. On crossing this, there are seven kinds of torments to be undergone. 

41. Every one of these is extremely painful, but the sinner has to go through them in their order.

42. There are ten Shūlas and thirteen Kumbhīpäkas where one whole day and night should be spent. 

43. The merciless and fearful Rakshasas hold the sinners in tridents and bake them over glowing cinders. 

44. They are then held head down-wards over clouds of choking smoke and then fried in hot oil in big vessels. 

45. They are then held over the fire of burning marrow in a pit of dried cowdung. This is done for ten days in each. 

46. When these seven kinds of torments are over, they are taken to the river ‘Yama’ at a distance of three yojanas where in flows molten lead. 

47. Crossing it with burnt body and completely unconscious, they get rest there for a while. 

48. They see a beautiful pond with cool water and shady trees around. They get there whatever they want, because this is the sister of Yama. 

49. All the sinners get food and drink there, but all this is forgotten after spending three days there. 

50. Then there is the mountain called Shūlagraha which extends over a hundred yojanas. It is constituted of a single rock and no being lives in it. 

51. The clouds shower hot water on it and people traverse it with difficulty in the course of a day. 

52. There is the Shrungātaka forest which is full of biting black flies. 

53. The bite of these flies transforms one into a worm. One has to face there showers of flesh and blood. 

54-55. Traversing this, the sinner goes to another place of torment where he sees his sons, mother, father, wife and other dear ones. But he is bound and can only helplessly cry. 

56. “O son, save me, save me,” he cries, but what he gets then is beatings with clubs, rods and bamboo sticks, knocks with the fist, blows with whips and bitings by snakes. 

57. Unable to bear all this pain, he swoons. 

58. The sinners get here this sort of treatment again and again. 

59. Those who commit the five heinous sins, necessarily reach this place. 

60. When the punishments for these sins are undergone one becomes a stationary being. 

61. After a period in that form, the dead man is born as an animal. 

62. But this is after his life in hell for sixty thousand and sixty hundred years. 

63. When the effects of his actions are over, he becomes a being born of sweat and undergoes all its life-process. 

64. He then takes birth as a bird, then as a cow and after wards as a man. 

65. Among men he is first born as a Shūdra and after a proper life as a Shūdra, takes birth as a Vaiśhya endowed with the result of all actions. 

66. After his life as a Vaishya, he is born as a Kshatriya and after that as a Brāhmaṇa. 

67. If, after taking birth as a Brāhmaṇa, he commits sins again and debases himself with evil mind and self-ruinous actions, he gets afflictions physical and mental. 

68. As a result of his actions, he develops a tendency to Brāhminicide, becomes a leper, squint-eyed and crow-voiced. 

69. He gets protruding teeth, develops foul odour in his body and gets a bent of mind to drink liquor, kill the parents and murder the king. 

70. He also becomes a stealer of gold, and, in short, one similar to a killer of Brahmin. 

71. In another place in hell, I could see sinners badly mutilated as a result of their own actions, and blood flowing every where. 

72. The whole place is full of such people who groan again and again. 

73. There frequently arise cries of those who are bound in various ways and beaten. 

74. They are tormented by beatings with iron rods and pricking weapons. 

75. This is done till those engaged in this get tired. 

76. When they are thus tired, they make a report to Chitragupta.