Listen, and I shall recount the sacred narrative as declared in the ancient verses. Among the mysterious Guhyakas, pride and a lack of humility are considered their form of righteousness. For the Rakshasas, it is self-study and unwavering devotion to Tryambaka, the three-eyed Lord, that is honored as their righteous path. As for the Pisachas, their righteousness is found in their constant greed for flesh. Thus, Brahma himself proclaimed these twelve meritorious paths, each bestowing progress upon those who follow them. Of these, you have asked to hear once more about the righteousness that pertains to human beings. Let us now speak of men—those who dwell upon the earth, spread across the seven great islands. This earth itself rests upon the vast waters, much like a boat floating upon a mighty river. Upon these waters, the Creator established an abode, exceedingly high and shaped like the heart of a lotus. The Lord of all creatures then fashioned the places known as the islands, or dvipas, each with its own measure and extent, which I shall now describe. Beyond the first island, Jambudvipa, lies the continent of Plaksha, which is twice as large. Further beyond is the Shalmali continent, itself twice the size of the great ocean surrounding Plaksha. Next comes the ocean of clarified butter, twice as vast as Kushadvipa. Beyond that is the ocean of curds, also twice as great as the one before. In this way, each realm and ocean is twice the size of the previous, proceeding one after another. From Jambudvipa at the center, all the way to the Milk Ocean at the outermost edge, O Rakshasa, there are counted in all four crore and fifty-five lakhs in number. All around, these realms are filled to the brim, measured by the unit known as 'laksha-manda-kataha.' Hear now, O night-wanderer, for we shall journey there in thought. At the very ends of these branches of existence, there is never any change of ages among the beings who dwell there. Only at the end of a kalpa, the great cosmic cycle, does their dissolution occur, O mighty-armed one. Those who follow demonic ways perish at the end of their actions, their fate sealed by the consequences of their deeds. These beings are difficult to behold—devoid of purity, terrible in aspect, and causing destruction as their actions come to an end. Then arise the hells, beginning with the fierce Raurava and the dreadful Pushkara, which are terrifying to see. What are their extents, and what is their nature, you ask? The total number of hells that begin with Raurava is twenty-one. The first is Raurava itself. The second, Maharaurava, is twice as great as the first. The fourth is Andhatāmisra, a terrible hell with double gates. The seventh is Apratiṣṭha, also known as Ghaṭīyantra. The eighth, famed as Narakottama, is measured in yojanas. There is also Karapatra, and another called Śvānabhojana. The eighteenth is the dreadful river Vaitaraṇī. Saṃśoṣaṇa and Ananta are also counted among these hells, O Sukeśin; these are the hells connected to your kind. O best of Brāhmaṇas, hear further, for curiosity is great and the desire for knowledge deep. Listen now about these hells, which exist for the experience of the fruits of one’s own actions. Those sinners who do not honor the meaning of the Purāṇas and Itihāsas, and those lowly ones who cause division between the sacrificer and the teacher, meet a grim fate. The servants of Yama split them in two with a dreadful saw called Karapatra. Likewise, those who steal a child’s fan or take food mixed with sand are also subject to such punishment. Thus is the order of the worlds, the islands, and the hells, and the fruits of actions as declared by the ancient sages.