When Naciketas returned from the realm of Yama, the Blessed Lord, it was hoped by all that the Lord was pleased to see him come in person. There was concern, too, that the gatekeepers in Yama’s abode might have treated him harshly, and that Naciketas had found both the path and the way out from that mysterious realm. In the forest, the great and fortunate sages, and the twice-born renowned for their mighty vows, gathered together. Upon hearing Naciketas speak, all the forest-dwellers responded by reciting sacred chants and worshipping the deities. Some stood on one foot in deep austerity, others gazed unwaveringly at the sun. The illustrious ascetics, firm in their vows, blazed like fire with their spiritual radiance. Among them were sages clothed only by the directions, those who used their teeth as their only mortar and pestle, and others who subsisted on smoke or endured the scorching heat of fire. Some remained seated, others stood, and some were well-restrained in their discipline. When Naciketas appeared, having come from Yama’s realm, some among the sages became disheartened, while others began to speak with doubt. They addressed him, saying, “O wise son Naciketas, upholder of your own duty, tell us the truth of what you have seen and heard, in detail. If you have been asked anything, you must also speak any secret, especially. Dear one, by the illusion of time, the dead are never truly seen. Whatever is done here is enjoyed in the next world. Likewise, here too, things are seen at the proper time, but only by the illusion of time. Many who ponder the far shore do not reach it. One should not worry here; we seek what is truly beneficial. What is the form of Dharmaraja? O sage, what is time like? By doing what might one be freed, or what action should one perform? How does one overcome the suffering born of the bonds of anger, as well as torment and cutting? How do those who have mastered themselves go, and how does the doer of evil depart? Out of affection, friendship, and love, we have asked you.” At this point, Vaiśampāyana spoke: “O great king, listen as Yadu speaks, O Janamejaya.” Thus concludes the one hundred ninety-fourth chapter, entitled ‘The Coming of Naciketas in the Cycle of Samsara,’ in the glorious Varaha Purana. Now begins the description of the sinners dwelling in Yama’s realm. The sages established in austerity are called to listen as the account is given. Hear, as far as can be explained, about the cycle of existence. Among those condemned are the slayers of Brahmins and betrayers of trust. Those who defile maidens and men devoted to wickedness are also counted among the sinners. Those who act as priests for Shudras, and twice-born ones who have become a disgrace; a drinker of liquor, a Brahmin-killer, or a twice-born who slays a hero; one who abandons his mother, or his father, or forsakes his virtuous wife; those who steal houses or fields, those who destroy bridges; those who are impure, merciless, sinful, violent, or breakers of vows; a liar regarding land, or a twice-born who lives off the Veda; those who associate with all kinds of sinners, and those who harbor intense enmity; one who steals another’s wealth, or a man who kills a king—all are named as sinners who dwell in Yama’s realm. Thus, the tale flows from Naciketas’s return and the questions of the sages, to the teachings on the cycle of samsara and the fate of sinners in the abode of Yama.