When a person faithfully performs the rites for their ancestors, they are released from the realm of the departed and are honored in the world of the gods. With a pure heart, the performer of the ritual calls upon his forefathers, inviting them: “May my ancestors come; may they accept these handfuls of offerings.” As part of this sacred act, he takes water—measured to the size of a cow’s horn—and pours it into the midst of other water, offering it with devotion. It is taught that the abode of the ancestors lies in the sky, and also in the southern direction. Therefore, those who wish for the well-being of their ancestors should make offerings of water to them. Water, in all circumstances, is always pure for the purpose of purification—whether it is kept in a vessel or placed upon the earth, it remains ever suitable for sacred use. The wise, understanding the needs of all, will also offer water upon the ground for those who died without the benefit of proper rites. For both—the well-remembered and the forgotten—one should give offerings during the ritual, for this is the established law. Now, listen with courage to the descriptions of the fierce hells from which souls may arise. I will describe for you those dreadful places where beings are cooked and made to endure terrifying results. There is Kumbhīpāka, Nirucchvāsa, Kālasūtra, and Pramardana; there are also Mūṣāvasthā, Vasākūpa, and the terrible river Vaitaraṇī. Souls may suffer at Paśūla and Paśilā, and upon the dreadful Śālmalī tree as well. Some are forced to eat their own flesh and dwell amidst roaring flames. Others must drink briny or scalding water, or even hot milk, and are compelled to swallow balls of food that bring no comfort. In the stone-colored hell, some are made to eat worms; others are smeared with excrement or forced to eat it. There are torments where one must drink smoke, be bound with ropes, or be pierced with various spikes. Many are subjected to wooden devices, ground or cut asunder, struck with elephant tusks, or bitten by venomous serpents. Some must drink dreadful alkaline water or consume salt; others are thrust into holes filled with caustic liquid and made to eat flesh. There are those who are thrown from the tops of trees or submerged in water, bitten by ants, tormented by scorpions, forced to lie in mud, and filled with foul odors. Some are made to drink oil that is unbearably hot, or to consume substances of extreme pungency. Others must bathe in water that is either scalding or freezing, and have their teeth shattered. O illustrious one, there are tens of millions of such torments in these hells. Among these, each sinner suffers the punishment befitting his deeds, O protector of the earth. The slayer of a Brahmin, the drinker of liquor, the thief, or one who violates the teacher’s bed; one who breaks ranks, cooks for no sacred purpose, or always reviles Brahmins; one who falsely claims “There is no food,” is counted as a slayer of Brahman. He who causes obstruction is likewise a destroyer of Brahman, and one who is always devoted to falsehood is also called a Brahmin-slayer. Those who delight in disturbing others, who take pleasure in pointing out the faults of others, who are always eager to accept gifts, or who are intent on killing living beings—all these, O king, are sins equal to the slaying of a Brahmin. So too are those who eat food from guilds, associate with courtesans, abandon the company of spiritual guides, or partake of food meant for the gods. Such are the consequences and the fates that await, as taught by the scriptures, for those who neglect righteousness and succumb to grievous sin.