O King, listen attentively as I recount the grave consequences awaiting those who commit sinful acts. Know that one who transgresses in certain ways is deemed to have committed a thousand acts of brahminicide—a sin of the utmost severity. Those born from unnatural or non-human wombs, or even as animals, after their birth, descend to a pit of fat, where they must remain for as many years as the gods count as divine. Consider, too, the fate of one who brushes his teeth on a day of fasting; or the man who abandons his prescribed duties—such a person, the wise declare, is a heretic. Such souls are purified only after enduring the torments of hell for a thousand million aeons, passing from one hell to another, suffering as though they had committed brahminicide itself. For countless millions of aeons, they dwell in these infernal realms. Now, O King, hear of the bitter fruits born of these sins. There are those who constantly delight in inhaling smoke; they must linger in torment for the span of a year of Brahma. The sin they incur is as grave as the killing of a fetus, and its consequences are most terrible. Consider, too, the fate of those who consume the remnants of food left in water: they are plunged into boiling oil, where they suffer agony beyond measure. Whoever destroys sacred wood or sandalwood meets the same end. And know, O King, that the theft of sacred property brings suffering even in this very life. Listen further: one who bears false witness suffers grievously—his sons perish, and he himself meets a violent death. Those mortals who are driven by excessive lust, or who spread false rumors, are sprinkled with caustic brine for sixty thousand years. Thereafter, they are cast down by elephants, much as the wind hurls objects to the ground. O lord of men, consider also the one who does not approach his own wife at the proper season, or who, having the power to restrain another from improper conduct, remains silent. Those who make it their business to count the sins of the wicked and broadcast them to others, or who falsely accuse the innocent, also incur great sin. In such cases, half the sin of the slandered wicked person transfers to the accuser. Such a person suffers torment among trees with sword-like leaves and is reborn on earth with defective limbs. He endures a dreadful and painful existence, feeding on phlegm, and for him, there is no expiation—not even with thousands of acts of atonement. He is born in a Chandala womb and becomes an eater of cow flesh, remaining in that state for ten births, enduring all manner of torments. For such a sin, only a vow as severe as that required for expiating brahminicide can offer redemption. Yet, the thief is consigned to hell, while the one whose property was stolen ultimately receives its benefit. One who reviles ascetics, O King, is transformed into stone, experiencing every torment in turn, and is reduced to eating the food of dogs. Now, hear of those who destroy flower gardens: after death, they become beings composed of excrement for twenty-one kalpas. Those who destroy, burn, or plunder villages, who eat leftovers, or betray their friends; those who abandon their ancestral and divine rites, and who stray from the path of the Vedas—all these, O King, are subject to many and varied torments. Such is the fate of evil-doers, who must reap the bitter harvest of their deeds.