ते कृच्छ्रे यान्त्य् अशौचाश् च कुहकाजीविनश् च ये असिपत्त्रवनं याति वनच्छेदी वृथैव यः
Those who are impure, who live by deceit, and those who cut down forests without cause, go with difficulty to the sword-leaf forest.
औरभ्रिका मृगव्याधा वह्निज्वाले पतन्ति वै यान्ति तत्रैव ते विप्रा यश् चापाकेषु वह्निदः
Sheep-keepers, hunters, and those who set fires fall into flames; and those Brahmins who set fire to others' houses go there as well.
व्रतोपलोपको यश् च स्वाश्रमाद् विच्युतश् च यः संदंशयातनामध्ये पततस् ताव् उभाव् अपि
He who obstructs vows, and he who has fallen from his own order—both fall into the midst of the torture of biting.
दिवा स्वप्नेषु स्यन्दन्ते ये नरा ब्रह्मचारिणः पुत्रैर् अध्यापिता ये तु ते पतन्ति श्वभोजने
Those celibates who emit semen in dreams by day, and those whose sons teach them, fall into the food of dogs.
एते चान्ये च नरकाः शतशो ऽथ सहस्रशः येषु दुष्कृतकर्माणः पच्यन्ते यातनागताः
These and other hells, by the hundreds and thousands, are where those who have done evil deeds are cooked, having come to torment.
तथैव पापान्य् एतानि तथान्यानि सहस्रशः भुज्यन्ते जातिपुरुषैर् नरकान्तरगोचरैः
In the same way, these and thousands of other sins are suffered by those of various castes and men who dwell in other hells.
वर्णाश्रमविरुद्धं च कर्म कुर्वन्ति ये नराः कर्मणा मनसा वाचा निरयेषु पतन्ति ते
Those men who act against the duties of caste and order—by deed, mind, or word—fall into hell.
अधःशिरोभिर् दृश्यन्ते नारकैर् दिवि देवताः देवाश् चाधोमुखान् सर्वान् अधः पश्यन्ति नारकान्
The hell-dwellers see the gods above with their heads downward, and the gods see all the hell-dwellers below, facing downward.
स्थावराः कृमयो ऽज्वाश् च पक्षिणः पशवो नराः धार्मिकास् त्रिदशास् तद्वन् मोक्षिणश् च यथाक्रमम्
Immovable beings, worms, goats, birds, cattle, men, the righteous, the gods, and the liberated—all exist in order.
सहस्रभागः प्रथमाद् द्वितीयो ऽनुक्रमात् तथा सर्वे ह्य् एते महाभागा यावन् मुक्तिसमाश्रयाः
From the first, the second receives a thousandth part in succession; all these great beings remain until liberation is attained.
यावन्तो जन्तवः स्वर्गे तावन्तो नरकौकसः पापकृद् याति नरकं प्रायश्चित्तपराङ्मुखः
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.
पापानाम् अनुरूपाणि प्रायश्चित्तानि यद् यथा तथा तथैव संस्मृत्य प्रोक्तानि परमर्षिभिः
Atonements for sins, corresponding to each sin, have thus been declared by the supreme seers, remembering them as such.
पापे गुरूणि गुरुणि स्वल्पान्य् अल्पे च तद्विदः प्रायश्चित्तानि विप्रेन्द्रा जगुः स्वायंभुवादयः
For great sins, great atonements; for small, small—so have the knowers declared, O best of Brahmins, beginning with Svayambhu.
प्रायश्चित्तान्य् अशेषाणि तपःकर्मात्मकानि वै यानि तेषाम् अशेषाणां कृष्णानुस्मरणं परम्
All atonements are indeed acts of austerity; but among them all, remembrance of Krishna is supreme.
कृते पापे ऽनुतापो वै यस्य पुंसः प्रजायते प्रायश्चित्तं तु तस्यैकं हरिसंस्मरणं परम्
When a man feels true remorse after committing a sin, his supreme atonement is simply the remembrance of Hari.
प्रातर् निशि तथा संध्यामध्याह्नादिषु संस्मरन् नारायणम् अवाप्नोति सद्यः पापक्षयान् नरः
By remembering Nārāyaṇa in the morning, at night, at twilight, at midday, and at other times, a person immediately attains the destruction of sins.
विष्णुसंस्मरणात् क्षीणसमस्तक्लेशसंचयः मुक्तिं प्रयाति भो विप्रा विष्णोस् तस्यानुकीर्तनात्
By remembering Viṣṇu, when all accumulated afflictions are diminished, one attains liberation, O learned ones, through the repeated praise of Viṣṇu.
वासुदेवे मनो यस्य जपहोमार्चनादिषु तस्यान्तरायो विप्रेन्द्रा देवेन्द्रत्वादिकं फलम्
For one whose mind is fixed on Vāsudeva during recitation, sacrifice, worship, and similar acts, there is no obstacle, O best of Brāhmaṇas, and he attains rewards such as the status of Indra.
क्व नाकपृष्ठगमनं पुनरावृत्तिलक्षणम् क्व जपो वासुदेवेति मुक्तिबीजम् अनुत्तमम्
What comparison is there between ascending to heaven, which is marked by return, and the supreme seed of liberation, which is the recitation of 'Vāsudeva'?
तस्माद् अहर्निशं विष्णुं संस्मरन् पुरुषो द्विजः न याति नरकं शुद्धः संक्षीणाखिलपातकः
Therefore, a twice-born man who remembers Viṣṇu day and night does not go to hell; purified, with all sins diminished.
मनःप्रीतिकरः स्वर्गो नरकस् तद्विपर्ययः नरकस्वर्गसंज्ञे वै पापपुण्ये द्विजोत्तमाः
Heaven brings delight to the mind, while hell is the opposite; O best of twice-born, the terms 'hell' and 'heaven' are applied to sin and merit.
वस्त्व् एकम् एव दुःखाय सुखायेर्ष्योदयाय च कोपाय च यतस् तस्माद् वस्तु दुःखात्मकं कुतः
A single object is the cause of both sorrow and happiness, of envy and anger; therefore, how can an object be of the nature of sorrow alone?
तद् एव प्रीतये भूत्वा पुनर् दुःखाय जायते तद् एव कोपालयतः प्रसादाय च जायते
That very thing, having once brought pleasure, later becomes the cause of sorrow; that same thing, which once caused anger, can also bring about favor.
तस्माद् दुःखात्मकं नास्ति न च किंचित् सुखात्मकम् मनसः परिणामो ऽयं सुखदुःखादिलक्षणः
Therefore, nothing is inherently of the nature of sorrow, nor is anything inherently of the nature of happiness; these are transformations of the mind, characterized as happiness, sorrow, and so on.
ज्ञानम् एव परं ब्रह्माज्ञानं बन्धाय चेष्यते ज्ञानात्मकम् इदं विश्वं न ज्ञानाद् विद्यते परम्
Knowledge alone is the supreme Brahman; ignorance is considered bondage. This entire universe is of the nature of knowledge; nothing exists beyond knowledge.
विद्याविद्ये हि भो विप्रा ज्ञानम् एवावधार्यताम् एवम् एतद् मयाख्यातं भवतां मण्डलं भुवः
O learned ones, know that knowledge alone is both learning and ignorance. Thus have I described to you the sphere of the earth.
पातालानि च सर्वाणि तथैव नरका द्विजाः समुद्राः पर्वताश् चैव द्वीपा वर्षाणि निम्नगाः संक्षेपात् सर्वम् आख्यातं किं भूयः श्रोतुम् इच्छथ
O twice-born, I have concisely described all the netherworlds, hells, oceans, mountains, islands, regions, and rivers. What more do you wish to hear?
कथितं भवता सर्वम् अस्माकं सकलं तथा भुवर्लोकादिकांल् लोकाञ् श्रोतुम् इच्छामहे वयम्
You have told us everything, just as it is. Now we wish to hear about the worlds beginning with Bhuvarloka.
तथैव ग्रहसंस्थानं प्रमाणानि यथा तथा समाचक्ष्व महाभाग यथावल् लोमहर्षण
Likewise, please explain the arrangement and measurements of the planets, O highly fortunate Lomaharṣaṇa, just as they are.
रविचन्द्रमसोर् यावन् मयूखैर् अवभास्यते ससमुद्रसरिच्छैला तावती पृथिवी स्मृता
The earth, with its oceans, rivers, and mountains, is said to extend as far as the rays of the sun and moon shine.