Hear now the account of actions and their consequences, as taught in the sacred scripture. A person of sattvic nature, who lives a life of virtue and goodness, attains the highest good, reaching the supreme goal. Yet, know that various kinds of hells have been created throughout existence, each fashioned for those who commit grievous wrongs. For example, a man who kills a Brahmin is doomed, after death, to become a Chandala, an outcaste tormented by his actions. A twice-born who drinks liquor is cast down, branded as a perpetrator of sinful deeds. Whatever a person steals in this life will be absent for him in another birth, for the law of karma is just and unfailing. If a man approaches his teacher’s wife, he is cursed with impotence. One who violates another’s wife finds himself after death in the hell called Kālasūtra, a realm of suffering. The slanderer is sent to the dreadful Avīci hell, while one who reviles dharma is consigned to a place even more terrible. A great sinner who speaks falsehood is cast into the terrifying hell of concealment at the dissolution of the world. O twice-born, those who delight in betraying others or who eat flesh are thrown into the unstable hell known as Vajra. Even one who kills a horse dwells breathless, and a cow-killer suffers in a cruel hell. A thief of divine property is burned in a blazing hell, while one who steals the wealth of others suffers in a most dreadful place. In these hells, the tormented are bound with nooses, struck with rods, and pierced with stakes. Serpents, tigers, and other fierce creatures bite them relentlessly. Deep pits are dug, and the sinful are beaten with whips. The messengers of Yama, lord of death, force them to carry unbearable burdens. Those who steal gold, who have deformed nails or impure skin, or who violate their teacher’s wife—such people suffer greatly. False witnesses, those with eye disease or weak digestion, and those who eat before their elders are also afflicted. A man who delights in another’s wife may become lame, deaf, or a slanderer of others in a future birth. One who neglects a guest who has arrived at his door becomes like a thorn in the cheek, a source of pain and discomfort. A servant who breaks boundaries is reborn as a donkey, condemned to steal from the banks of ponds. An enemy of Viṣṇu becomes a lizard, while one hostile to Śiva is reborn as a mouse. Thus, the consequences of actions are many and varied, each corresponding to the nature of the sin. To counteract these dire fates, certain rites and acts of devotion must be performed, especially in the sacred Aruṇa region, by those who are truly faithful. Having heard of the many kinds of suffering that await those who commit evil deeds, one should, relying on faith, strive to destroy all sins. For example, a slayer of a Brahmin, upon reaching the holy Śoṇa mountain, should immerse himself at the Khaḍga Tīrtha. After fasting, worshipping, and purifying himself, he should honor the Supreme Lord with special worship and attentive devotion. Even one who has drunk liquor, by residing in the Aruṇa region for a year, and bathing the deity with milk while reciting the Śatarudrīya hymn, can be purified. One who has stolen gold should go to Śoṇa mountain and worship Hara with bilva leaves. One who has violated his teacher’s wife must seek out Kṛttikā’s Aruṇa mountain, and there worship Śrī Śoṇācala Śaṃkara for three months, reciting the six-syllable mantra daily to be freed from sin. One who has abducted another’s wife, with senses controlled, should give wealth to a devotee of Maheśvara according to his ability. Even a poisoner, by undertaking vows in the Aruṇa field as prescribed, becomes purified. A slanderer, if devoted to the Vedas and observing vows in the Aruṇa field, attains merit. Even one who has set fire, by observing vows in the Aruṇa field for three months, is absolved of his sin. One who has reviled dharma, by dwelling with vows in the Śoṇa field for a year, is purified. Thus, the scriptures teach both the consequences of sin and the means of atonement, urging all to live virtuously, seek forgiveness, and devote themselves to the Supreme Lord with faith and sincerity.