The Sinner's Journey to Yama, His Torment in Hell, and Rebirth Among Beasts

Verse 1 (padma.2.16.1)

सुमनोवाच- अंगारसंचये मार्गे घृष्यमाणो हि नीयते । दह्यमानः स दुष्टात्मा चेष्टमानः पुनः पुनः

sumanovāca- aṁgārasaṁcaye mārge ghṛṣyamāṇo hi nīyate dahyamānaḥ sa duṣṭātmā ceṣṭamānaḥ punaḥ punaḥ

Sumana said: 'Along a path heaped with burning coals he is dragged, scraped raw; that wicked soul, burning, writhes again and again.'

Verse 2 (padma.2.16.2)

यत्रातपो महातीव्रो द्वादशादित्यतापितः । नीयते तेन मार्गेण संतप्तः सूर्यरश्मिभिः

yatrātapo mahātīvro dvādaśādityatāpitaḥ nīyate tena mārgeṇa saṁtaptaḥ sūryaraśmibhiḥ

'Where the heat is most intense, scorched as by twelve suns, he is led along that path, tormented by the rays of the sun.'

Verse 3 (padma.2.16.3)

पर्वतेष्वेव दुर्गेषु छायाहीनेषु दुर्मतिः । नीयते तेन मार्गेण क्षुधातृष्णाप्रपीडितः

parvateṣveva durgeṣu chāyāhīneṣu durmatiḥ nīyate tena mārgeṇa kṣudhātṛṣṇāprapīḍitaḥ

'Through mountain strongholds devoid of any shade, that evil-minded one is led along that path, sorely afflicted by hunger and thirst.'

Verse 4 (padma.2.16.4)

स दूतैर्हन्यमानस्तु गदाखड्गैः परश्वधैः । कशाभिस्ताड्यमानस्तु निंद्यमानस्तु दूतकैः

sa dūtairhanyamānastu gadākhaḍgaiḥ paraśvadhaiḥ kaśābhistāḍyamānastu niṁdyamānastu dūtakaiḥ

'Struck by the messengers with maces, swords, and axes, beaten with whips, reviled by those messengers—'

Verse 5 (padma.2.16.5)

ततः शीतमये मार्गे वायुना सेव्यते पुनः । तेन शीतेन दुःखी स भूत्वा याति न संशयः

tataḥ śītamaye mārge vāyunā sevyate punaḥ tena śītena duḥkhī sa bhūtvā yāti na saṁśayaḥ

—'then along a path of bitter cold, he is assailed once more by the wind; tormented by that cold, he goes on in misery, no doubt of it.'

Verse 6 (padma.2.16.6)

आकृष्यमाणो दूतैस्तु नानादुर्गेषु नीयते । एवं पापी स दुष्टात्मा देवब्राह्मणनिंदकः

ākṛṣyamāṇo dūtaistu nānādurgeṣu nīyate evaṁ pāpī sa duṣṭātmā devabrāhmaṇaniṁdakaḥ

'Dragged by the messengers, he is led through manifold strongholds of danger; thus is that sinner, that wicked soul, a reviler of gods and brahmins—'

Verse 7 (padma.2.16.7)

सर्वपापसमाचारो नीयते यमकिंकरैः । यमं पश्यति दुष्टात्मा कृष्णांजनचयोपमम्

sarvapāpasamācāro nīyate yamakiṁkaraiḥ yamaṁ paśyati duṣṭātmā kṛṣṇāṁjanacayopamam

—'wholly given over to sinful conduct, led away by the servants of Yama. That wicked soul beholds Yama, resembling a mass of black collyrium—'

Verse 8 (padma.2.16.8)

तमुग्रं दारुणं भीमं भीमदूतैः समावृतम् । सर्वव्याधिसमाकीर्णं चित्रगुप्तसमन्वितम्

tamugraṁ dāruṇaṁ bhīmaṁ bhīmadūtaiḥ samāvṛtam sarvavyādhisamākīrṇaṁ citraguptasamanvitam

—'that fierce, dreadful, terrifying one, surrounded by terrifying messengers, filled with every disease-bringing power, accompanied by Chitragupta—'

Verse 9 (padma.2.16.9)

आरूढं महिषं देवं धर्मराजं द्विजोत्तम । दंष्ट्राकरालमत्युग्रं तस्यास्यं कालसंनिभम्

ārūḍhaṁ mahiṣaṁ devaṁ dharmarājaṁ dvijottama daṁṣṭrākarālamatyugraṁ tasyāsyaṁ kālasaṁnibham

—'that god mounted upon a buffalo, the king of dharma, O best of brahmins, terrible with fangs, most fierce, his very face resembling Time itself—'

Verse 10 (padma.2.16.10)

पीतवासं गदाहस्तं रक्तगंधानुलेपनम् । रक्तमाल्यकृताभूषं गदाहस्तं भयंकरम्

pītavāsaṁ gadāhastaṁ raktagaṁdhānulepanam raktamālyakṛtābhūṣaṁ gadāhastaṁ bhayaṁkaram

—'clad in yellow garments, mace in hand, anointed with red sandal, adorned with a garland of red flowers, mace in hand, terrifying—'

Verse 11 (padma.2.16.11)

एवंविधं महाकायं यमं पश्यति दुर्मतिः । तं दृष्ट्वा समनुप्राप्तं सर्वधर्मबहिष्कृतम्

evaṁvidhaṁ mahākāyaṁ yamaṁ paśyati durmatiḥ taṁ dṛṣṭvā samanuprāptaṁ sarvadharmabahiṣkṛtam

—such a mighty-bodied Yama does that evil-minded one behold. Having seen him thus arrived, cast out from all dharma—

Verse 12 (padma.2.16.12)

यमः पश्यति तं दुष्टं पापिष्ठं धर्मकंटकम् । शासयेत्तु महादुःखैः पीडाभिर्दारुमुद्गलैः

yamaḥ paśyati taṁ duṣṭaṁ pāpiṣṭhaṁ dharmakaṁṭakam śāsayettu mahāduḥkhaiḥ pīḍābhirdārumudgalaiḥ

—Yama beholds that wicked, most sinful one, a thorn to dharma, and disciplines him with great sufferings, with torments, with wooden clubs.

Verse 13 (padma.2.16.13)

यावद्युगसहस्रांतं तावत्कालं प्रपच्यते । नानाविधे च नरके पच्यते च पुनः पुनः

yāvadyugasahasrāṁtaṁ tāvatkālaṁ prapacyate nānāvidhe ca narake pacyate ca punaḥ punaḥ

'For the span of a thousand ages he is cooked in torment; he is cooked again and again in manifold hells.'

Verse 14 (padma.2.16.14)

नारकीं याति वै योनिं कृमिकोटिषु पापकृत् । अमेध्ये पच्यते नित्यं हाहाभूतो विचेतनः

nārakīṁ yāti vai yoniṁ kṛmikoṭiṣu pāpakṛt amedhye pacyate nityaṁ hāhābhūto vicetanaḥ

'That doer of sin goes to hellish wombs, among ten million worms; he is cooked constantly in filth, crying in anguish, bereft of awareness.'

Verse 15 (padma.2.16.15)

मरणं च स पापात्मा एवं याति सुनिश्चितम् । एवं पापस्य संयोगं भुंक्ते चैव सु दुर्मतिः

maraṇaṁ ca sa pāpātmā evaṁ yāti suniścitam evaṁ pāpasya saṁyogaṁ bhuṁkte caiva su durmatiḥ

'Such indeed, most certainly, is the death which that sinful soul undergoes; thus does that most evil-minded one endure the consequence of his sin.'

Verse 16 (padma.2.16.16)

पुनर्जन्म प्रवक्ष्यामि यासु योनिषु याति च । शुनां योनिशतं प्राप्य भुंक्ते वै पातकं पुनः

punarjanma pravakṣyāmi yāsu yoniṣu yāti ca śunāṁ yoniśataṁ prāpya bhuṁkte vai pātakaṁ punaḥ

'Now I shall speak of his rebirth, into what wombs he goes. Attaining a hundred wombs among dogs, he suffers again the fruit of his sin.'

Verse 17 (padma.2.16.17)

व्याघ्रो भवति दुष्टात्मा रासभीं याति वै पुनः । मार्जार शूकरीं योनिं सर्पयोनिं तथैव च

vyāghro bhavati duṣṭātmā rāsabhīṁ yāti vai punaḥ mārjāra śūkarīṁ yoniṁ sarpayoniṁ tathaiva ca

'That wicked soul becomes a tiger; he goes again indeed into the womb of a she-donkey; into the womb of a cat, of a sow, and likewise of a serpent—'

Verse 18 (padma.2.16.18)

नानाभेदासु सर्वासु तिर्यक्षु च पुनः पुनः । पापपक्षिषु संयाति अन्यासु महतीषु च

nānābhedāsu sarvāsu tiryakṣu ca punaḥ punaḥ pāpapakṣiṣu saṁyāti anyāsu mahatīṣu ca

—'into all manner of varied animal forms, again and again; he goes among sin-tainted birds and among other great beasts as well.'

Verse 19 (padma.2.16.19)

चांडाल भिल्लयोनिं च पुलिंदीं याति पापकृत् । एतत्ते सर्वमाख्यातं पापिनां जन्म चैव हि

cāṁḍāla bhillayoniṁ ca puliṁdīṁ yāti pāpakṛt etatte sarvamākhyātaṁ pāpināṁ janma caiva hi

'That doer of sin goes into the wombs of Chandalas, Bhillas, and Pulindas. All this has been told to you — the rebirth of sinners.'

Verse 20 (padma.2.16.20)

मरणे शृणु कांत त्वं चेष्टां तेषां सुदारुणाम् । पापपुण्यसमाचारस्तवाग्रे कथितो मया

maraṇe śṛṇu kāṁta tvaṁ ceṣṭāṁ teṣāṁ sudāruṇām pāpapuṇyasamācārastavāgre kathito mayā

'In death, my dear, you have heard their most dreadful ordeal; the conduct of both sin and merit has been told before you by me.'

Verse 21 (padma.2.16.21)

अन्यदेवं प्रवक्ष्यामि यदि पृच्छसि मानद

anyadevaṁ pravakṣyāmi yadi pṛcchasi mānada

'I shall speak of yet another thing, if you ask, O giver of honor.'