Listen, O twice-born, to the consequences of sinful deeds and the path to liberation, as declared by the ancient sages. A thief, or one who violates boundaries, hates the gods, Brahmins, or ancestors, or corrupts precious gems, falls into the hell called Vimoha. Those who commit grave sins or eat before making offerings to ancestors, gods, or guests are cast into the hell named Lalabhaksha. Likewise, those who wound with arrows, pierce or mutilate ears, or wield swords to harm others are all sent to the exceedingly dreadful hell of Vishasana. One who accepts improper gifts is thrown into a hell where he hangs head downward. He who performs sacrifices for the unworthy, predicts omens from the stars, or is always devoted to fine food, finds himself alone in a hell filled with worms and pus. A Brahmin who sells lac, meat, juices, sesame, or salt suffers the same fate. Those who keep cats, cocks, goats, horses, boars, or birds are also destined for hell. Gamblers, fishermen, those who eat from pits, poisoners, needle-makers, buffalo-keepers, and twice-born men who travel on festival days all fall into torment. Arsonists, friend-slayers, bird-catchers, village priests, those blinded by blood, and those who sell Soma meet the same end. A honey-thief, a village-destroyer, one who drinks semen, or one who breaks boundaries must cross the terrible Vaitarani river. Those who are impure, live by deceit, or cut down forests without cause journey with great difficulty to the sword-leaf forest. Sheep-keepers, hunters, and those who set fires, as well as Brahmins who set fire to others’ houses, are consumed by flames. He who obstructs vows or falls from his own order is cast into the midst of biting tortures. Celibates who emit semen in dreams by day, or those whose sons become their teachers, fall to become food for dogs. There are hundreds and thousands of such hells where evil-doers suffer torment. In the same way, the many and various sins of all castes and men lead them to other hells, each according to their misdeeds. Those who act against the duties of their caste and order—by deed, mind, or word—fall into hell. The dwellers in hell see the gods above, with their own heads downward, while the gods look down upon the hell-dwellers in their misery. All beings—immovable creatures, worms, goats, birds, cattle, men, the righteous, the gods, and the liberated—exist in a great chain. Each successive being receives but a thousandth part from the one before, and all remain in their state until liberation is attained. As many creatures as dwell in heaven, so many dwell in hell; the doer of sin who neglects atonement must go to hell. The supreme seers have declared atonements for every sin, corresponding to its gravity. For great sins, there are great atonements; for small, small ones—so have the knowers, beginning with Svayambhu, proclaimed. All acts of atonement are forms of austerity, but among them, remembrance of Krishna is supreme. When a man feels true remorse for his sin, the highest atonement is simply to remember Hari. By remembering Nārāyaṇa in the morning, at night, at twilight, at midday, and at other times, a person’s sins are immediately destroyed. When all accumulated afflictions are diminished by remembering Viṣṇu, one attains liberation through his repeated praise. For one whose mind is fixed on Vāsudeva during recitation, sacrifice, worship, and similar acts, there is no obstacle, O best of Brahmins, and he attains rewards such as the status of Indra. What comparison is there between mere ascent to heaven, which is marked by return, and the supreme seed of liberation, which is the recitation of ‘Vāsudeva’? Therefore, a twice-born who remembers Viṣṇu day and night does not go to hell, but is purified, his sins diminished. Heaven brings delight to the mind, while hell is the opposite; thus, the terms ‘hell’ and ‘heaven’ are applied to sin and merit. A single object can be the cause of both sorrow and happiness, envy and anger; so how can any object be of the nature of sorrow alone? That very thing which once brought pleasure may later bring sorrow; what once caused anger may also bring favor. Thus, nothing is inherently sorrowful or joyful; these are but transformations of the mind, called happiness or sorrow. Knowledge alone is the supreme Brahman; ignorance is bondage. This entire universe is of the nature of knowledge—nothing exists beyond it. Know, O learned ones, that knowledge alone is both learning and ignorance. Thus have I described to you the sphere of the earth. O twice-born, I have concisely described all the netherworlds, hells, oceans, mountains, islands, regions, and rivers. What more do you wish to hear? The listeners replied, “You have told us everything, just as it is. Now we wish to hear about the worlds beginning with Bhuvarloka. Likewise, please explain the arrangement and measurements of the planets, O highly fortunate Lomaharṣaṇa, just as they are.” Know, then, that the earth, with its oceans, rivers, and mountains, extends as far as the rays of the sun and moon shine.