O Maitreya, listen as I recount the destinies of those who stray from righteousness, and the path to true liberation. There are certain actions, O wise one, that inevitably lead souls to suffering. Those who gamble, cast nets as fishermen, eat from impure earthen pots, deal in poison, fashion needles, tend buffaloes in improper ways, or Brahmins who labor on festival days—each of these finds themselves cast into hell. Likewise, arsonists, slayers of friends, soothsayers, village priests who misuse their office, those blinded by bloodlust, and sellers of the sacred Soma drink also fall into the realms of torment. If one destroys a sacrifice or lays waste to a village, he is carried to the dreadful river Vaitarani. Those who waste their seed, trespass boundaries, live in impurity, or sustain themselves through deceit are condemned to the dark hell. The one who fells forests without just cause is sent to a forest of sword-leaves; sheep-stealers and hunters fall into searing flames. Arsonists who set houses or fields ablaze meet the same fate. Breaking vows or abandoning one’s proper order brings a soul, along with any accomplice, into the fierce torments of iron pincers. Men who, while vowed to celibacy, lose their seed in sleep or daylight, and those who teach their sons the Vedas, are destined to become food for dogs. These are but a few among countless hells—by the hundreds and thousands—where wrongdoers endure suffering for their misdeeds. Just as these sins exist, so too are there countless others, and men experience their consequences in the many regions of hell. Anyone who acts contrary to the duties of their class or stage of life—by deed, thought, or word—falls into hell. The gods in heaven gaze upon the dwellers of hell, seeing them with their heads downward, and the hell-dwellers, in turn, see the gods in the same inverted way. All beings exist in their proper order: the immovable, the insects, those born from eggs, birds, animals, humans, the righteous, the gods, and finally, the liberated. Each group possesses a mere thousandth part of the merit of the next, and so on, continuing until liberation is attained. As many beings as there are in heaven, so many reside in hell. The evildoer who rejects atonement is surely destined for these lower realms. For every sin, appropriate atonements have been prescribed by the wise, each according to the nature of the transgression. For grave sins, great atonements; for lesser faults, lesser remedies—so have the sages declared from the time of Svāyambhuva. All atonements are rooted in acts of austerity, but above all stands the remembrance of Krishna. When a person is truly remorseful for his wrongdoing, the highest and sole atonement is to remember Hari. By remembering Nārāyaṇa at dawn, night, twilight, midday, and at all times, a man is purified of his sins and attains him; when all suffering is exhausted through the remembrance of Viṣṇu, liberation is achieved. Even the attainment of heaven, if it distracts from this, is an obstacle. Should one’s mind remain fixed on Vāsudeva during recitation, sacrifice, worship, or any sacred act, any interruption or detour is merely the fruit of becoming a lord among gods and so forth. What comparison can there be between ascending to heaven—which must be left behind—and the recitation of “Vāsudeva,” the supreme seed of liberation? Therefore, O sage, he who remembers Viṣṇu day and night does not fall into hell, for all his sins are diminished. Heaven is that which brings joy to the mind; hell is its opposite. The words “hell” and “heaven,” O best of twice-born, simply signify sin and merit. A single thing can be the cause of pain, pleasure, envy, and anger; how, then, can it possess a single, true nature? That which brings pleasure may again cause pain; the same thing can provoke anger or favor. Thus, nothing is inherently of the nature of pain or of pleasure—it is the mind’s transformation that gives rise to these experiences. Knowledge alone is the supreme Brahman; yet knowledge itself can also be bondage. This entire universe is of the nature of knowledge; nothing exists apart from it. Understand, O Maitreya, that knowledge is both knowledge and ignorance. Thus, I have described to you the circle of the earth, the netherworlds, and the hells, O twice-born. The oceans, mountains, continents, regions, and rivers have all been summarized. What else, O Maitreya, would you wish to hear? Maitreya then spoke: “O Brahman, you have explained to me this entire earth. Now, O sage, I wish to learn about the worlds beginning with Bhuvarloka. Please, most fortunate one, tell me about the arrangement and measurements of the planets, as I inquire.” Śrī Parāśara replied: The extent of the earth, with its oceans, rivers, and mountains, is measured as far as the rays of the sun, moon, and fire illuminate. The sky’s measure is equal to the diameter of the earth, stretching from one side to the other. The orbit of the sun lies one hundred thousand yojanas above the earth; at the same distance beyond the sun’s path is the orbit of the moon. Another hundred thousand yojanas above the moon glows the entire circle of the stars. Two hundred thousand yojanas above the stars is the planet Mercury; two hundred thousand yojanas above Mercury is Venus. Mars is situated at the same distance above Venus, and two hundred thousand yojanas above Mars is the priest of the gods, Jupiter. Saturn is set two hundred thousand yojanas above Jupiter, and, O best of the twice-born, one hundred thousand yojanas above that is the circle of the Seven Sages, the Saptarṣis. Thus, O Maitreya, have I described the destinies of souls, the path to liberation, and the grand arrangement of the worlds above and below.