As the teachings of Yājñavalkya on the duties of forest-dwellers and renunciates came to a close, a new discourse began—one that delved into the profound consequences of human actions and the inexorable law of karma. It was said that from the very banner of hell itself arises the destruction of sinful deeds, for the fruits of one’s actions are inescapable. The fate of the soul, after departing this world, is shaped by the nature of its deeds. For example, a person who steals gold is reborn as a worm or insect, writhing in lowly forms, while one who violates the sanctity of the teacher’s wife is cast down to become grass or similar humble beings. The heinous act of killing a Brāhmaṇa brings about dire consequences—sometimes all these dreadful results befall the perpetrator, or even an innocent child may suffer such fates. Those who steal grain, possess unnatural limbs, are given to slander, or emit a foul odor from the nose also meet with lowly births. Stealing the wealth of a Brāhmaṇa or purchasing a maiden leads one to become a demon haunting the forests, or else an ox bound to labor. Even the theft of something as simple as a bunch of cucumbers results in rebirth as a field mouse, forever stealing grain. One who steals meat becomes a vulture; the thief of cloth is reborn as a leper; and the one who steals salt is doomed to become a partridge. The law of karma is precise: those bereft of good marks—signs of virtue and merit—are reborn poor and as the lowest among men. In contrast, those blessed with auspicious marks are born into wealth and abundance. Yet, Yājñavalkya did not end his teaching there. He explained that from the failure to perform one’s prescribed duties, and from the commission of acts that are condemned, sin arises and clings to the soul. Therefore, atonement—prāyaścitta—must be diligently performed, for it purifies the soul, pleases the world, and destroys sin at its root. Without atonement, sinners are destined for hells such as Mahāraurava and Raurava, where suffering is intense and unrelenting. The soul’s path leads to the river Sañjīvanī, whose waters are red and swan-like in appearance. Those lacking merit are cast further, to the dreadful realms of Avīci and Kumbhīpāka. Certain sins are especially grave: reviling the teacher or the Veda is considered equal to the sin of killing a Brāhmaṇa. Tasting the mouth of a menstruating woman is equated with the sin of drinking liquor. Illicit relations—with a friend’s wife, a maiden, one’s own kin, or outcast women—are condemned. Likewise, union with one’s father’s sister, mother’s sister, maternal uncle’s wife, or even one’s own daughter-in-law, and approaching the wife of a teacher or one’s own daughter, are all considered grievous violations, particularly of the teacher’s bed. Other serious sins include killing a cow, becoming an outcaste, theft, and neglecting debts. Receiving instruction from a servant or teaching for hire, living off condemned means among the Śūdras, Vaiśyas, or Kṣatriyas, abandoning one’s father, mother, or friend, or selling ponds or gardens, giving away a maiden improperly, acting crookedly, breaking a vow, and abandoning one’s own study, sacred fire, or relatives—these are declared as minor sins. Yet, for every sin, there is a means of expiation. The killer of a Brāhmaṇa can attain purity in twelve years by eating little, or by offering oblations into the marrow with the proper mantras, or, if killed for the sake of a Brāhmaṇa, he or a twice-born cow becomes free from distress. Serving Sarasvatī or giving wealth to a worthy recipient also brings purification. One who destroys a fetus, according to his class, should give the prescribed fee to an Ātreya. If a Brāhmaṇa is present at a Soma sacrifice, he should observe a vow twice as severe, wearing garments of bark and matted hair, subsisting only on clarified butter the color of fire. A Brāhmaṇa woman who drinks semen, urine, or excrement, or who drinks liquor, is also subject to such penance. A twice-born who steals gold, after giving a pestle to the king, should perform the same atonement, or by giving gold equal to his own weight, he attains purification. In certain cases, the severed phallus and testicles are to be cast away in the southwestern direction. Thus, Yājñavalkya explained the inexorable results of actions and the prescribed means of atonement, guiding souls on the path to purification and liberation.