After enduring ten thousand years, a soul who has suffered the consequences of his misdeeds at last attains human birth once more. Yet, the residue of his karma is not fully spent, and so, before he can reach adulthood, he dies—his span on earth cut short as the balance of his actions is exhausted. In the destruction and rebirth of beings, both sin and merit play their roles, intertwined and inseparable. From the very beginning, the ripening of karma unfolds precisely as ordained by the Self-born Lord; none escape the order of that supreme will. Thus concludes the two hundred and second chapter, which describes the results of punishments for hellish deeds in the endless cycle of worldly existence, as revealed in the glorious Varaha Purana. Now begins the enumeration of various groups of sins, as described by Citragupta, the divine scribe. He tells of those who lack virtue and self-control, who walk the path of darkness. Those who harbor hatred for the king, who despise their teacher—all these are condemned by their actions. There are those who delight in violence, who are cruel at heart, who slander others and corrupt the endeavors of the righteous. Some set forests ablaze, while others are butchers, taking life without compassion. When the karmas of such beings are exhausted and they once again obtain human birth, their suffering is not yet ended. Many perish even in the womb, or die as children, never reaching the fullness of life. Some meet their end by falling from trees, by weapons, or through the forces of wind and fire. In this way, they suffer the grievous fate of those who in past lives killed their mother, father, friend, relative, or kin. Through these painful deaths, they undergo the taking of life, just as they once inflicted it upon others. There are also those who cut at the roots of life, who use poison, who set fires, who slander, stir up quarrels, and hurl false accusations. Those who cause distress and act with fierce cruelty are cast into hells, where they are tormented and cooked in suffering. When, at last, their karmas are expended and they are reborn as humans, their bodies bear the marks of their past: their ears or noses may be cut off, and they repeatedly endure both bodily and mental agony. Among men, the most wicked endure severe diseases of the abdomen. Some are born maimed, with one wing or one eye, with deformed nails, or afflicted by various illnesses. Others suffer leprosy that causes their flesh to fall away, or white leprosy, each condition arising according to their own deeds. Some are tormented by pain in the womb, pain in the eyes, asthma, heart pain, or pain in the private parts—afflicted by many harsh and terrible diseases. The messengers of justice are commanded to punish, in due order, those who speak falsely. There are four kinds of false speech among them: whether a matter is secret or not, through slander and reviling, through words that destroy affection, are harsh, or break the bonds of conduct. Speech that lacks proper tone, that is countless in form and meaningless, is also condemned. Those who babble, who are unjust, harsh, and deceitful, corrupt the hearts of others. Those who cannot endure hearing the good qualities of others praised are reborn among lower creatures, taking many forms as insects and birds. There, evil-doers are cooked for a long and dreadful time, despised and unrecognized, their minds lost, and their reputations destroyed. Abandoned by friends and rejected by their own kin, the sin committed by others even falls upon their heads. Such is the succession of suffering for those who speak falsely. And so, those who commit theft and seize things by force continue to accumulate suffering, bound ever more tightly in the cycle of pain and rebirth, until the fruits of their actions are fully spent.