इति श्रीपद्मपुराणेपातालखंडे वैशाखमासमाहात्म्ये शततमोऽध्यायः
Thus ends the hundredth chapter in the section on the greatness of the month of Vaiśākha, in the Pātāla-khaṇḍa of the glorious Padma Purāṇa.
यम उवाच- अथ कालकटाक्षेण लक्षितो नृपतिस्तदा । मृतोऽतिरतिसेवोत्थ क्षयक्षीणकलेवरः
Yama said: Then, marked by the glance of Time, the king died, his body wasted away from excessive indulgence.
नीयमानो यमगणैस्ताड्यमानो मुहुर्मुहुः । क्रन्दमानो महारावान्स स्मरन्निजपातकम्
Dragged away by Yama's attendants, beaten again and again, he cried out loudly, remembering his own sins.
विष्णुदूतैः समागम्य ताडयित्वा ममानुगान् । धर्मवानयमित्युक्त्वा विमानमथ रोपितः
Then, when the messengers of Viṣṇu arrived, they struck my followers, declared him righteous, and placed him in a celestial chariot.
नीतो हरिपुरं भूपः स्तूयमानोऽप्सरोगणैः । प्रातःस्नानेन वैशाखमासस्य क्षीणपातकः
The king was taken to Hari's city, praised by groups of apsarās, his sins destroyed by the morning bath in the month of Vaiśākha.
अथ धर्मविहीनोऽयमिति मत्वा च तैः पुनः । देवदूतैर्निदेशेन विष्णोर्भूमिपतिस्तदा । अदूरादेव निरयवर्त्मना स समाहितः
But then, considering him devoid of righteousness, those divine messengers, by Viṣṇu's command, led the king, attentive, along the path to hell, not far away.
स गच्छन्नपि शुश्राव जीवानां क्रंदतां पुनः । निरये पच्यमानानामारावं विविधं तदा
As he went, he again heard the cries of living beings, the various loud wails of those being tormented in hell.
पापिनां क्वथ्यमानानामाक्रंदमतिदारुणम् । श्रुत्वा विस्मयवान्विप्र राजाभूदतिदुःखितः
Hearing the terrible screams of sinners being boiled, the king became amazed and deeply distressed, O Brahmin.
प्रोवाच दूताः किमयमाक्रंदो दारुणः श्रुतः । पुनर्न श्रूयते तन्मे कारणं वक्तुमर्हथ
He said to the messengers: What is this dreadful screaming I hear? Why is it not heard again? Please tell me the reason for this.
दूता ऊचु- जंतवस्त्यक्तमर्यादाः पापास्त्वाचारवर्जिताः । निरयेषु च घोरेषु तामिस्रादिषु पातिताः
The messengers said: There are creatures who have abandoned all bounds, sinners devoid of good conduct, cast into terrible hells such as Tāmisra.
कृतपातकिनस्त्वत्र प्राणत्यागादनंतरम् । याम्यं पंथानमाश्रित्य दुःखमश्नंति दारुणम्
Those who have committed sins, after giving up their bodies, follow the path to Yama and suffer terrible pain.
यमस्य पुरुषैर्घोरैः कृष्यमाणा इतस्ततः । अंधकारे निपतिता भक्ष्यंते ह्यतिदारुणैः
Dragged here and there by Yama's fierce men, fallen into darkness, they are devoured by exceedingly dreadful beings.
श्वभिः शृगालैः क्रव्यादैः काककंकबकादिभिः । अग्नितुंडैर्वृकव्याघ्रैर्भुजगैर्वृश्चिकादिभिः
By dogs, jackals, flesh-eaters, crows, vultures, and the like; by fire-mouthed wolves and tigers, by serpents and scorpions and others—
अग्निना दाह्यमानाश्च तुद्यमानाश्च कंटकैः । क्रकचैः पाट्यमानाश्च पीड्यमानाश्च तृष्णया
They are burned by fire, pierced by thorns, torn apart by saws, and tormented by thirst—
क्षुधया बाध्यमानाश्च घोरैर्व्याधिगणैस्तथा । पूयशोणितगंधेन मूर्छ्यमानाः पदेपदे
Afflicted by hunger and also by terrible hosts of diseases, they faint again and again from the stench of pus and blood.
क्वाथ्यंते च क्वचित्तैलैस्ताड्यन्ते मुशलैः क्वचित् । आयसीषु प्रपच्यंते शिलासु क्वचिदेव च
In some places they are boiled in oil, in others beaten with clubs; in iron vessels they are cooked, and sometimes on stones as well.
क्वचिद्वांतमथाश्नंति क्वचित्पूयमसृक्क्वचित् । क्वचिद्विष्ठां क्वचिन्मांसं पूतिगंधिषु दारुणम्
Sometimes they eat vomit, sometimes pus and blood, sometimes excrement, sometimes flesh—horribly foul-smelling.
कृमिभिर्भक्ष्यमाणाश्च वह्नितुंडैः क्वचित्क्वचित् । केशशोणितमांसासृग्वसास्थिनिकरेषु च
They are devoured by worms, and in some places by fire-mouthed creatures, among heaps of hair, blood, flesh, marrow, and bones.
अस्थिताः कुणपाः कीर्णाः कृमिभिर्भक्षिताः स्फुटम् । काककंकमहागृध्रवदनैर्ध्वंसितेषु च
Their bodies, reduced to corpses, are scattered and clearly consumed by worms, and destroyed by the mouths of crows, vultures, and great vultures.
शिवदुर्गंधनीरंध्र संघट्टशतकोटिषु । करपत्रशिलापत्रतप्त निस्तैलकेषु च
In pits filled with foul-smelling, putrid water, among countless collisions, on blades and heated iron plates without oil—
लोहतैलवसास्तंभ कूटशाल्मलसद्मसु । क्षुरकंटककीलोग्र ज्वालास्तंभविभातिषु
On pillars of iron, oil, fat, and in houses of the sharp śālmalī tree, on sharp razors, thorns, spikes, and blazing pillars—
तप्तं वैतरणीपूयपूरितेषु पृथक्पृथक् । असिपत्रवनोत्कृत्त नरनारीस्तनेषु च
In the heated Vaitaraṇī river filled with pus, separately, and on the breasts of men and women cut in the sword-leaf forest—
घोरांधकारग्रहणदारुणेषु मुहुर्मुहुः । पापच्यमानाः क्रंदंतो दारुणैर्विविधैर्वधैः
In terrifying, pitch-dark, dreadful places, again and again, the sinners wail as they are struck by various cruel punishments.
कंठेषु बद्धपाशाश्च भुजगावेष्टिताः क्वचित् । पीड्यमानास्तथा यंत्रैः कृष्यमाणाश्च जानुभिः
With nooses tied around their necks, sometimes entwined by serpents, they are tormented by machines and dragged by their knees.
भग्नपृष्ठशिरोग्रीवाः स्तब्धकंठाः सुदारुणाः । कूटागारे भ्राम्यमाणाः शरीरैर्यातनाक्षमैः
With broken backs, heads, and necks, their throats stiffened in agony, they are whirled about in iron houses, their bodies unable to endure the torment.
पीड्यंते पापिनो राजन्क्रंदमाना विकर्मिणः । सहितं विषयास्वादैः क्रंदनं तैर्विधीयते
The sinful, O King, are tormented, crying out, these wrongdoers; together with the enjoyment of sense pleasures, their wailing is produced.
भुज्यते च कृतं पूर्वमेतत्सर्वैश्च जंतुभिः । परस्त्रीषु कृतः संगः प्रीतये दुःखदो हि सः
And all these creatures experience what they have done before; association with another's wife, though for pleasure, brings suffering.
मुहूर्तविषयास्वादो जातोऽनेकाब्ददुःखदः । वपुषस्तव राजेंद्र प्रातःस्नानस्य माधवे
A moment's enjoyment of sense pleasure brings suffering for countless years; O King, for your body, the morning bath in spring—
विधिना पावनस्यैते प्राप्य स्पर्शं च मारुतः । लब्धसौख्याः क्षणं जाता महसाप्यायितास्तव
By the prescribed purifying bath and the touch of the wind, happiness is gained for a moment, and you are filled with radiance.
आक्रंदरहितास्तेन जातास्ते निरये स्थिताः । नामापि पुण्यशीलानां श्रुतं सौख्याय कीर्तितम्
Because of that, those who dwell in hell become free from wailing; even the name of the virtuous, when heard, is proclaimed as a source of happiness.