O King, listen attentively to the ways in which sin arises and the consequences that follow. Among the twice-born, should one be struck by a Shudra and then partake of food, or if he, with a Shudra’s permission, performs the work of a servant, these acts are counted among the gravest of transgressions, equal in severity to the drinking of liquor. Likewise, the unlawful taking of roots, tubers, fruits, musk, and bark-cloth, as well as copper, tin, bell-metal, clarified butter, and honey, are all considered sinful. If one unlawfully takes betel, water, or sandalwood, neglects ancestral rites, or obstructs acts of righteousness, these too are counted among the major sins. Stealing food, grain, or edible items, and engaging in forbidden relations—such as with one’s sister, a son’s wife, a woman of lower caste, the wife of a drunkard, a brother’s wife, a friend’s wife, or even one’s own daughter—are all condemned as serious offenses. Performing acts at improper times is also included among these grave wrongs. These, O King, are known as the major sins. The great sages have described some of these in detail, and now you shall hear of those sins for which no atonement is prescribed. For certain acts, such as killing a Brahmin, expiation may be possible in some way. But those who betray trust, commit murder, sustain their bodies with food from Shudras, revile the Vedas, or speak ill of sacred narratives—there is no expiation for them, neither here nor hereafter. No amount of penance, even hundreds of acts, can cleanse them. Therefore, the twice-born should avoid such souls, for they are cast out from righteousness. This is the settled conclusion of the scriptures: for these, there is no atonement. There are other sins, O lord, for which prescribed penance is also lacking. Now listen as I describe the hells that result from such actions. After suffering in hell, these souls return to earth and are born as donkeys for seven births. For a hundred years, they become dung-eating worms, and for twelve births, serpents. For another hundred years, they are immobile beings, then take the bodies of iguanas. After this, for sixteen births, they become Shudras and other low castes, always intent on accepting gifts, before returning to hell once more. There, after remaining for two kalpas, they are born as Caṇḍālas for a hundred births. Entering the wombs of dogs for another hundred births, they are again born among the Caṇḍālas. Afterward, they return to hell for twenty-one yugas. Now hear the result for those who misappropriate gifts: they are forced to carry the very stone of their sin for a year. Those who grieve over their actions and steal the property of others are continually cooked by their deeds in the limbs of hell. For a thousand ages, they consume lumps of boiling substance, dwelling without breath in the most dreadful place for half a kalpa. In that realm, copper women adorned with beautiful ornaments seize the learned man forcefully, driven by fear. Such, O King, are the consequences of sin as revealed by the scriptures and the sages.