Listen, then, to the tale of the consequences that befall those who commit grievous sins, and the path to their purification, as revealed in the sacred scripture. Even one who slays a horse is left breathless, and a killer of cows is cast into a cruel hell. The thief who steals divine property finds himself in a blazing inferno, while the one who takes another’s wealth suffers in a most dreadful hell. There, the punishments are severe: sinners are bound with nooses, struck with rods, and pierced with stakes. Ferocious creatures—serpents, tigers, and others—bite them without mercy. Deep pits are dug for them, and they are beaten with whips. The messengers of Yama, lord of death, make the sinful carry unbearable burdens. Among those punished are the thief of gold, those with deformed nails or impure skin, and one who violates his teacher’s wife. False witnesses, those afflicted with eye disease or weak digestion, and those who eat before elders are also counted among the sinful. A man who delights in another’s wife becomes lame, deaf, or a slanderer of others. One who neglects a guest who has arrived becomes as a thorn in the cheek. A servant who breaks boundaries becomes a donkey that steals from the banks of ponds. An enemy of Viṣṇu becomes a lizard, and one hostile to Śiva becomes a mouse. Such rituals of purification should be performed in the Aruṇa region by those who are truly faithful. Having heard of the many kinds of suffering in hells for those who commit evil deeds, one should, relying on faith, seek to destroy all sins. For example, a slayer of a Brahmin, upon reaching the Śoṇa mountain, should immerse himself at the holy Khaḍga Tīrtha. After fasting, worshipping, and purifying himself, he must 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, should bathe the deity with milk, reciting the Śatarudrīya hymn. The thief of gold, at Śoṇa mountain, should worship Hara with bilva leaves. One who has violated his teacher’s wife should go to Kṛttikā’s Aruṇa mountain and worship Śrī Śoṇācala Śaṃkara for three months, reciting the six-syllable mantra daily, thus freeing himself from sin. One who has abducted another’s wife, with controlled senses in this region, should give wealth to a devotee of Maheśvara according to his ability. Even a poisoner, by undertaking vows in the Aruṇa field as previously described, becomes purified. A slanderer, devoted to the Vedas and observing vows in the Aruṇa field, attains merit. One who sets fire, by observing vows in the Aruṇa field for three months, is absolved. One who reviles dharma, dwelling with vows in the Śoṇa field for a year, is purified. One who betrays his ancestors, standing alert in the Aruṇa field for a month, is absolved. During times of planetary eclipses, one should feed many Brahmins. Even a woman-killer or child-killer, having approached the Śoṇa field, attains purification. One who commits hidden sins, with controlled senses in this Śoṇa field, is purified. One who speaks falsely, dwelling with vows in the Aruṇa field for six months, is absolved. One who damages wells and the like, upon reaching the Śoṇa field with devotion, is purified. One who steals land should give land to the deity, which yields great fruit. One who steals a house should construct a new temple for the deity. One who harms others, dwelling in the Śoṇa field with wealth dedicated to Maheśvara, is purified. Even one who eats the flesh of animals and the like, by observing vows in the Śoṇa field for three fortnights, is absolved. Thus, the scripture reveals both the suffering that awaits the sinful and the means of redemption for those who seek purification with faith, devotion, and proper action in the sacred regions.