Having gathered themselves, the assembled beings came before Kāla-cintaka and addressed him with urgency and reverence, saying, “Now arise! Stand up! Forgive, forgive, O Lord!” Thus concluded the account in the Śrī Varāha Purāṇa, in the sacred scripture, within the cycle of birth and death, of the two hundred and first chapter, named ‘The Battle of Rākṣasas and Servants.’ Now begins the description of the results that await souls after death, the punishments of hell. There, I beheld a wonder—a sight both marvelous and fearsome. Those who had been cast into that realm before now received the fruits of their actions. Many souls, bound by the consequences of their dreadful deeds, were tormented in countless ways. Those of evil conduct—devoted to sin, merciless, and with wicked minds—suffered the consequences of their actions. Among them were those who had slain their father, mother, or a cow, and those who bore every kind of fault. To such a one, the lowest of men, the command was given: “Cast him into blazing fire and cook him in oil, or again in ghee and honey.” There was also the man who stole beds or seats, or who gave fire improperly. Such a person, exceedingly sinful, was regarded as the destroyer of all sacred places. If one had borne false witness, punishment was meted out by instruction in both ears, a torment for the liar. A brahmin who conducted village sacrifices but was unreliable, hypocritical, and deceitful faced swift retribution: “Quickly cut out the tongue of this wicked sinner, whose speech is corrupt.” This fate befell one overcome by greed and deluded by desire, having committed wicked acts. For the fraudulent brahmin, it was decreed: “Break all his limbs everywhere.” The sinful one who stole gold, as well as the ungrateful man, suffered broken bones, after which alkali and fire were immediately applied to their wounds. For the slanderer, five terrible, fierce, and great tigers lay in wait. One who neglected fire—though it had been received and should have been honored—was released to the dreadful, ever-wrathful crab. Whoever withheld water from animals, or brahmins who refused to give or sold the Veda, or one who stole a water vessel or failed to prevent food from being taken, all faced punishment with bamboo rods, whips, and iron rods. For such as these, it was decreed that food and drink must never be given. If someone had stolen land given to a brahmin, swift punishment followed. After crossing over from this world, such a person was cast into the womb of an animal. Afflicted through thousands of births, he would eventually be born again as a human. For the gravest sins, the punishment for killing a brahmin was imposed in its most dreadful form. Likewise, the thief of gold and the drinker of liquor were harshly punished. The killer of a cow, considered deeply sinful, was made to ascend a tree of thorns, and was then cooked in cauldrons of putrid decay, joined with other suffering creatures. Wherever he was born, he dwelled in distress. If a soul had slain his own father, the question was asked: “Why does this wicked soul remain here?” The answer: “Let this vile man be cooked in dreadful cauldrons.” After suffering in ten different wombs, only then would he be released. Throughout, he was tormented constantly by hunger, disease, and afflictions, and punished by various instruments before finally being released. Thus, the consequences of evil deeds unfolded, each soul receiving the fruits of its actions in the realms beyond, as witnessed in the vision of hell described in the sacred scripture.