THE NINTH BOOK
Chapter XXXII
On the enumeration of various hells for sinners
1-28. Nârâya n a said :— Then, initiating her with the Great Seed, the Âdi Radical Mantra of the Mahâ S’akti, S’rî Bhuvanes’varî in accordance with due rules, the son of Sûrya began to recite the various effects of various Karmas, auspicious and inauspicious. Never do the persons go to hell when they perform good Karmas; it is only the bad works that lead men to hells. The different Purâ n as narrate various heavens. The Jîvas go to those places as the effects of their various good Karmas. The good Karmas do not lead men to hells; but the bad Karmas do lead them veritably to various hideous hells. In different S’âstras, different hell-pits are ascertained. Different works lead men to different hells. O Child! Those hell-pits are very wide, deep, painful and tormenting, very horrible and ugly. Of these, eighty six pits or Ku nd as are prominent. Many other Ku nd as exist. Now listen to the names of the Ku nd as mentioned in the Vedas. Their names are :— Vah n i Ku nd a, Tapta Ku nd a, K s âra Ku nd a, Bhayânaka Ku nd a, Vi t Ku nd a, Mûtra Ku nd a, S’le s ma Ku nd a, Gara Ku nd a, Dû s ikâ Ku nd a, Vasâ Ku nd a, S’ukra Ku nd a, S’o n ita Ku nd a, As’rû Ku nd a, Gâtramala Ku nd a, Kar n amala Ku nd a, Majjâ Ku nd a, Mâmsa Ku nd a, impassable Nakra Ku nd a, Loma Ku nd a, Kes’a Ku nd a, impassable Asthi Ku nd a, Tâmra Ku nd a, the exceedingly hot and painful Lauha Ku nd a (the pit of molten iron), Charma Ku nd a, the hot Surâ Ku nd a, sharp Thorny Ku nd a, Vi s a Ku nd a, the hot Taila Ku nd a, very heavy Astra Ku nd a, Krimi Ku nd a, Pûya Ku nd a, terrible Sarpa
Ku nd a, Mas’aka Ku nd a, Dams’a Ku nd a, dreadful Garala Ku nd a, Vajra Dam st ra Vris’chika Ku nd a, S’ara Ku nd a, Sûla Ku nd a, awful Kha d ga Ku nd a, Gola Ku nd a, Nakra Ku nd a, sorrowful Kâka Ku nd a, Manthâna Ku nd a, Vîja Ku nd a, painful Vajra Ku nd a, hot Pâts’â n a Ku nd a, sharp Pâs’â n a Ku nd a, Lâlâ Ku nd a, Masî Ku nd a, Chakra Ku nd a, Vakra Ku nd a, very terrible Kurma Ku nd a, Jvâlâ Ku nd a, Bhasma Ku nd a, Dagdha Ku nd a, and others. Besides these, there are the Taptasûchî, Asipatra, K s uradhâra, Sûchîmukha, Gokhâmûkha, Kûmbhîpâka, Kâlasûtra, Matsyoda, Krimi, Kantuka, Pâms’ubhojya, Pâs’ave st a, Sûlaprota, Prakampana, Ulkâmakha, Andhakûpa, Vedhana, Tâ d ana, Jâlarandhra, Dehachûrna, Dalana, S’o s a n a, Ka s a, S’ûrpa, Jvâlâmûkha, Dhûmândha, Nâgave st ana and various others. O Savitri! The Ku nd as give much pain and torment greatly the sinners; they are under the constant watch of innumerable servants. They hold rods in their hands; some of them have nooses; others hold clubs, S’aktis, awful scimitars; they are fierce fanatics, maddened with vanity. All are filled with Tamogu n as, merciless, irresistible, energetic, fearless and tawny-eyed (like copper). Some of them are Yogis; some are Siddhas, they assume various forms. When the sinners are about to die, they see these servants of Yama. But those who do their own duties, who are S’âktas, Sauras, or Gâ n apatyas or those who are virtuous Siddha Yogis, they never see the servants of Yama. Those who are engaged in their own Dharmas, who are possessed of wisdom, who are endowed with knowledge, who are mentally strong, who are untouched by fear, who are endowed with the feelings of the Devas, and those who are real Vai sn avas, they never see these servants of Yama. O Chaste One! Thus I have enumerated to you the Ku nd as. Now hear who live in the Ku nd as.
Here ends the Thirty-second Chapter of the Ninth Book on the enumeration of various hells for sinners in the Mahâpurâ n am S’rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam of 18,000 verses by Mahar s i Veda Vyâsa.