In the ancient scriptures, a vivid and solemn account is given of the many hells that await those who delight in evil deeds. Among these dreadful realms are Puyavaha, Papa, Vahnijvala, Adhahshira, Sadamsha, Krishnasutra, Tamas, Avichi, Shvabhojana, Apratishtha, and others, each more terrifying than the last. These are the exceedingly terrible hells, described as filled with weapons, fire, and venom in the kingdom of Yama, where the wicked are cast down. Those who give false testimony, speak with partiality, or utter any kind of falsehood are condemned to Raurava, a hell of great torment. Likewise, those who kill a fetus, destroy a city, kill a cow, or obstruct another’s breath meet the same fate in Raurava. Drinkers of liquor, killers of Brahmins, thieves, those who steal gold, and even those who associate with such sinners are sent to the hell called Shukara. If a man kills a Kshatriya or Vaishya, violates his teacher’s bed, has intercourse with his sister, or kills a royal servant, he falls into a heated cauldron. Those who sell honey, guard the condemned, sell lion’s hair, or abandon food are plunged into molten metal. Approaching one’s own daughter or daughter-in-law, insulting teachers, or abusing others leads to Mahajvala, another realm of fierce punishment. Corrupting or selling the Veda, or seeking forbidden women, brings one to Shabala. Thieves are sent to Vimoha, while those who violate boundaries, hate the gods, Brahmins, or ancestors, or corrupt gems are condemned to Krimibhaksha. Those who commit grave sins or eat before offering to ancestors, gods, or guests are sent to Lalabhaksha. Wounding others with arrows, piercing, mutilating ears, or wielding a sword leads to Vishasana, an exceedingly dreadful hell, and those who accept improper gifts are punished by being cast head downward. Performing sacrifices for the unworthy, predicting omens from stars, or always indulging in fine food sends a man alone to the hell of worms and pus. A Brahmin who sells lac, meat, juices, sesame, or salt also meets this fate. Those who keep cats, cocks, goats, horses, boars, or birds are condemned to hell as well. Gamblers, fishermen, those who eat from pits, poisoners, needle-makers, buffalo-keepers, and twice-born who travel during festival days are all punished. Arsonists, friend-slayers, bird-catchers, village priests, those blinded by blood, and those who sell Soma fall into hell. Honey-thieves, village-destroyers, those who drink semen, and boundary-breakers are cast into the Vaitarani river. Those who are impure, live by deceit, or cut down forests without cause are sent with difficulty to the sword-leaf forest. Sheep-keepers, hunters, and those who set fires fall into flames, and Brahmins who set fire to others’ houses join them. He who obstructs vows or has fallen from his own order suffers the torture of biting. Celibates who emit semen in dreams by day, and those whose sons teach them, are condemned to the food of dogs. Hundreds and thousands of other hells exist, where those who have committed evil deeds are cooked in torment. So too, the sins of many castes and men are suffered in countless hells. Anyone who acts against the duties of their caste or order—by deed, mind, or word—falls into hell. The hell-dwellers gaze upward and see the gods, but their heads are downward, while the gods look down upon the hell-dwellers below. All beings—immovable creatures, worms, goats, birds, cattle, men, the righteous, gods, and the liberated—exist in order. From the first, each receives a thousandth part in succession, and all remain until liberation is attained. As many creatures as there are in heaven, so many dwell in hell. The doer of sin goes to hell if he turns away from atonement. For every sin, the supreme seers have prescribed corresponding atonements, remembering them as such. Great sins require great atonements; small sins, small ones—this has been declared by the wise, beginning with Svayambhu. All atonements are acts of austerity, but above them all, remembrance of Krishna is supreme. When a man feels true remorse after committing a sin, his highest atonement is simply the remembrance of Hari. By remembering Narayana at dawn, at night, at twilight, at midday, and at other times, a person’s sins are immediately destroyed. By remembering Vishnu, when all accumulated afflictions are diminished, one attains liberation, O learned ones, through the repeated praise of Vishnu. For one whose mind is fixed on Vasudeva during recitation, sacrifice, worship, and similar acts, there is no obstacle, and he attains rewards such as the status of Indra. What comparison can there be between ascending to heaven—which is marked by return—and the supreme seed of liberation, which is the recitation of ‘Vasudeva’? Therefore, a twice-born man who remembers Vishnu day and night does not go to hell; purified, with all sins diminished, he attains the highest state.