O Maitreya, listen attentively as I recount the destinies that await those who stray from the path of righteousness. There are dreadful hells for those who commit grievous acts. He who approaches his own daughter-in-law or daughter with impure intent is cast into the blazing flames, and likewise, one who insults teachers or abuses others, O most unfortunate of men, meets a terrible fate. Those who corrupt the sacred Veda, who sell it for gain, or who consort with forbidden women, O twice-born, are cast into the hell called Lavaṇa. The thief, too, falls into molten iron, as does anyone who violates boundaries set by others. He who bears hatred toward the gods, Brāhmaṇas, or ancestors, or who tampers with precious gems, descends into the hell of worms, Krimibhakṣa or Krimīśa, O wrongdoer. The lowest of men, who eats without first honoring the ancestors, the gods, and his guests, consumes only his own saliva and is sent to a fearsome place, pierced by arrows and stakes. Those who cut off ears or slay with sword or weapon are consigned to a hell of great torment. One who accepts gifts unfit for him, the priest who performs sacrifices for the unworthy, and the astrologer who points out stars for omens—all such are suspended head downward in a dreadful hell. He who eats black gram mixed with pus, or who greedily eats alone and with haste, is also sent to hell. O twice-born, a Brāhmaṇa who sells lac, meat, liquids, sesame seeds, or salt, too, is sent to that same hell. So also, one who keeps cats, cocks, goats, dogs, pigs, or birds for his livelihood meets the same fate. The gambler, the fisherman, one who habitually eats from earthen pots, the poisoner, the needle-maker, the keeper of buffaloes, and the Brāhmaṇa who works on festival days—all these are destined for hell. The arsonist, the slayer of friends, the soothsayer, the village priest, the one maddened by blood, and those who sell Soma—they all fall into hell. He who destroys a sacrifice or a village is cast into the river Vaitarani, O man. Those who waste their seed, violate boundaries, remain impure, or live by deceit are sent to the dark hell. He who cuts down forests without just cause is cast into the forest of sword-leaves, while the sheep-stealer and the hunter fall into fiery flames. O twice-born, those who set fire to houses or fields also meet this fate. One who breaks his vows or abandons his rightful order falls, along with his companion, into the torments of iron pincers. Men who, as celibates, emit semen in sleep or by day, and those who teach the Veda to their sons, are destined to become food for dogs. These are but a few examples; there are hundreds and thousands of such hells where those who commit evil deeds undergo suffering. Just as these sins exist, so too are there countless others, and men experience the consequences in the various regions of hell. Those who act against the duties of their class and stage of life—whether by deed, thought, or word—fall into hell. The gods in heaven witness the dwellers of hell, seeing them with their heads downward; likewise, the dwellers of hell see the gods, also with their heads downward. All beings exist in due order: the immovable, insects, those born from eggs, birds, animals, humans, the righteous, the gods, and finally, the liberated. Each succeeding group possesses a thousandth part of the preceding, and so it continues until liberation is attained. As many beings as there are in heaven, so many dwell in hell. The doer of evil who neglects atonement surely goes to hell. For every sin, there is a prescribed atonement, suited to its nature, as declared by the supreme sages who remember the order of things. For great sins, there are great atonements; for small sins, small atonements—thus have those who know, beginning with Svāyambhuva, taught, O Maitreya. All atonements involve acts of austerity, but above all, the supreme atonement is the remembrance of Krishna. When a man feels true remorse for his sin, the highest atonement is to remember Hari. Remembering Nārāyaṇa at dawn, at night, at twilight, at midday, and at other times, a man is immediately purified, his sins destroyed; and by remembering Viṣṇu, when all accumulated suffering is exhausted, he attains liberation. Even the attainment of heaven is considered an obstacle compared to this. For one whose mind is fixed on Vāsudeva during recitation, sacrifice, worship, and the like, O Maitreya, even any interruption results only in the fruit of becoming lord of the gods and similar rewards. What comparison can there be between ascending to heaven—which is marked by return—and the recitation of 'Vāsudeva,' the supreme seed of liberation? Therefore, O sage, he who remembers Viṣṇu day and night is never sent to hell, for all his sins are diminished. Heaven is that which brings joy to the mind; hell is the opposite. The words 'hell' and 'heaven,' O best of the twice-born, refer merely to sin and merit. A single thing can be the cause of pain, pleasure, envy, and anger; thus, how can any thing be truly of a fixed nature? That very thing, which is a cause of pleasure, can again become a cause of pain; it can be the cause of anger and also of favor. Thus, nothing is inherently of the nature of pain, nor is anything inherently of the nature of pleasure; these are but transformations of the mind, characterized by pleasure, pain, and the like. Knowledge alone is the supreme Brahman; knowledge is also said to be bondage. This entire universe is of the nature of knowledge; nothing exists apart from knowledge. Know, O Maitreya, that knowledge itself is called both knowledge and ignorance. Thus, I have described to you the circle of the earth, the netherworlds, and likewise the hells, O twice-born one.