After departing from this world, the soul of one who has acted wrongly endures various consequences according to the nature of his deeds. He may find himself reborn as a man afflicted with blood disorders, suffering from wounds as if pierced by spears—a reflection of the pain he once caused. If a person steals a vessel of bronze or similar metal from a god’s temple or from a Brahmin, his next seven births will be as a horse in the land of Bharata, serving and laboring under others. Likewise, one who eats the food of a prostitute, or lives by the earnings she brings, is seized and beaten by the messengers of Yama, the god of death, and must remain in torment for a time. A Brahmin who serves foreigners or lives by earning his keep through writing—living by ink—also endures this punishment, beaten by Yama’s messengers and detained in suffering. Thereafter, such a soul is reborn as a goat for three lifetimes and then as a black serpent for three more, experiencing the consequences of his actions. If one steals grain, crops, or betel from the gods or Brahmins, he must dwell in Yama’s realm for a hundred years, struck and tormented by Yama’s servants. When he returns to the world, he is born as a human plagued by a persistent cough, a reminder of his past misdeeds. Should someone, having stolen from Brahmins, fashion a wheel for them, he is reborn as an oil-maker for three lifetimes, bound to humble labor. One who acts crookedly toward relatives or Brahmins, deceiving or harming them, is reborn for seven lifetimes with crooked or deficient limbs, his very form reflecting the distortion of his actions. If a Brahmin eats the meat of a tortoise while lying down, he is reborn as a tortoise, and for three further lifetimes as a boar, living among animals as a result of his conduct. Whoever steals ghee, oil, or similar offerings from the gods or Brahmins spends a hundred years in Yama’s realm before being reborn as an oil-drinker, compelled to partake only of what he once took unlawfully. If he steals fragrant oils, amla, or perfumed substances, he finds himself in a foul-smelling pit, always surrounded by stench. For seven lifetimes he is foul-smelling, and for three lifetimes he is born as a musk deer, ever seeking fragrance yet never freed from the taint of his past theft. If a person, driven by force, wickedness, or violence, harms others, he is made to dwell upon a heated stake, enduring pain day and night. His body turns ashen, yet the body of enjoyment does not perish, and without food he cries out, struck by Yama’s servants. In time, he is reborn landless and poor, but thus purified by suffering. One who is devoid of compassion and exceedingly cruel, who cuts down living beings with swords, must dwell upon the dreadful sword-leaf tree for as long as fourteen Indras reign—an immense span of time—constantly wounded by the sharp edge, his body maimed and battered. For a hundred births he becomes a caṇḍāla, an outcaste, and in Bharata he is born as a pig, living in filth and degradation. Thereafter, he is born as a tiger for seven births, and then as a wolf for three, wandering as a beast of prey. Whoever sets fire to a village or city, causing destruction, immediately becomes a preta—a restless spirit—with a mouth of fire, doomed to wander the earth in torment. Afterward, he is born as a great spear-bearer among men for seven births, carrying the burden of his violent actions. One who slanders others by whispering malicious words into another’s ear must dwell in the needle-mouth hell, pierced by needles for three ages. He is then reborn as a thunderbolt-insect for seven births, and thereafter as a cinder-insect, lowly and suffering. If a person breaks into a householder’s home and steals property, for seven lifetimes he is born as cattle, afflicted with disease, bearing the consequences of his theft through suffering and servitude. Thus, the fruits of one’s actions unfold, and each soul experiences the results of its deeds, learning through the cycles of birth and rebirth the importance of righteousness, compassion, and respect for others.