Mukunda, recounting his harrowing journey after death, described the terrifying beings who seized him. Their eyes were tawny, their hair red, their bodies dark, and their nails protruded. They were short in stature, with unnaturally long feet, flat noses, and large, fearsome teeth. These dreadful figures, the messengers of Yama, spoke among themselves, “Let him be taken! By the command of Dharmaraja, let him be brought to the city of Samyamanī!” With these words, the tormentors, their hearts ablaze with anger, bound Mukunda tightly with cruel fetters. They struck him with iron clubs and forced him into a body wracked with suffering. Dragged mercilessly by them along a path of burning sand, Mukunda cried out in agony, his pain deepened as they struck him again and again. As they tormented him, the messengers of Yama rebuked Mukunda harshly. “Because you insulted your teacher, who speaks the unshakable Brahman, you have committed a grave offense,” they declared. “What will you do before Yama? You must behold his dreadful face and endure the terrible fruits of your sin. Because of this very transgression, O sinner, you have met with untimely death.” With these words, they swiftly carried him across vast distances, bringing him to the city of Samyamanī. There, in that city where King Yama himself resides, the tormentors bowed before Dharmaraja and placed Mukunda before him, saying, “This twice-born is a sinner.” Seeing Mukunda, Yama addressed his assembly: “O assembly, listen well to my words. When I was appointed to this office by Brahmā, the Grandfather of the worlds, he said to me, ‘You are the ruler of Samyamanī, the punisher of unrighteous men. Impose punishment according to the offense, O son of Canda. Whoever neglects his parents or insults his teacher—these two are the greatest sinners and must be cast into hell by you. For as many years as there are tens of thousands, let each suffer in all the hells. For these two, O lord of the southern quarter, you must never show mercy.’” Yama continued, “Thus, by the command of Brahmā, I do not perform rites for one who insults his teacher or neglects his parents, O assembly. This Brāhmaṇa is a betrayer of his teacher. Because of that betrayal, he has met with untimely death and, by my command, has been brought here by my servants, fit to be judged. O servants, first cast him into the terrible Raurava hell for ten thousand years; then, having brought him out, cast him elsewhere again. For just so long, this sinner who has neglected his teacher shall remain in all the hells, each for the allotted time, swiftly.” Mukunda continued his tale: “O Vedāyana, my teacher and lord, Yama’s servants, by his command, led me to the terrible Raurava hell. They bound me in fetters and cast me down. There, O dear one, I endured grievous and intense suffering—so severe that even a single moment seemed like an age. For thirty days I remained there, bearing that pain; on the thirty-first day, I departed from that place. When I fell among the fragments of bones at this most excellent of sacred fords, the sin arising from neglect of my teacher was instantly destroyed. By the grace of this sacred place, I attained heaven, and I shall dwell happily there for as long as the fourteen Indras reign. “In the city of Yama, the beings who dwell there are terrifying to sinners but enchanting to the righteous. They have faces of lions, elephants, boars, and cats; great fangs, swollen bellies, tawny hair, radiance, and long hands. By the grace of this sacred ford, when I became free from sin, I saw those beings in Yama’s abode, now possessing divine forms. All of them spoke truthfully, were endowed with humility and good conduct, adorned with divine ornaments, and clothed in celestial garments. “Thus, O dear one, I have told you all that you asked. Now permit me to go to the city of the Lord of the Immortals.” At this, Nārada recounts, the ascetic Vedāyana listened to his disciple’s words and, righteous at heart, questioned Mukunda further. Vedāyana said, “From childhood, you have learned all from me with the affection of a teacher, mastering the science of words and the Veda in its entirety, with all its steps. You have rendered service to me with devotion, O best of men; in you are found the qualities of the good, such as tranquility and self-restraint. How, then, did the sin arising from neglect of your teacher come upon you? Tell me this, dear one, so that I may know the truth.” Mukunda replied, “I have never violated the command of the creators of the sacred thread for girls, nor of the Veda, nor of the giver of the sacred thread. I have served my father-in-law and mother-in-law as a servant would; nor have I ever disobeyed you, my teacher in the scriptures. Yet, against the family priest—the preceptor, accomplished in the Veda and its end—I committed an offense, and you ought to hear of it. If a son skilled in righteousness is born in our family, then a cow, or something equivalent, is to be given as a fee to the family priest. Having given that, the lineage is considered pure and established. But formerly, on the auspicious day when my own son was born—Father, I did not perform the family rites, being of foolish mind. By neglecting them, I became one who caused the loss of my lineage. “All this I have reported to you—how sin befell me due to the loss of my lineage. Grant me permission, I will go to the abode of the gods.” Vedāyana said, “Within the region of Indraprastha, this auspicious Kośalā exists; by her grace, memory of one’s previous birth is seen. By what merit have your bones fallen in this holy place? Tell me, O Mukunda, if you possess memory of this.” Thus, the tale of Mukunda’s journey through suffering, redemption, and the power of sacred places was revealed, each moment unfolding as a testament to the laws of Dharma and the grace that can absolve even the gravest of sins.