Description of the Hells: The Account of Kutashalmali

Verse 1 (skanda.8.38.1)

सुशर्मोवाच । अतः परं प्रवक्ष्यामि शाल्मलीनरकं पुनः । यात्यन्ते तत्र पुरुषाः सुभृशं पापकर्मिणः

suśarmovāca | ataḥ paraṁ pravakṣyāmi śālmalīnarakaṁ punaḥ | yātyante tatra puruṣāḥ subhṛśaṁ pāpakarmiṇaḥ

Sushrama said: Now, after this, I shall tell of the Shalmali hell once more. There, men of most grievous sinful deeds undergo torment.

Verse 2 (skanda.8.38.2)

शाल्मलीनां सहस्राणि बहूनि प्रवरेश्वर । उच्चास्सर्वाश्च ता घोरा बहुयोजनविस्तृताः

śālmalīnāṁ sahasrāṇi bahūni pravareśvara | uccāssarvāśca tā ghorā bahuyojanavistṛtāḥ

O most excellent lord, there are there many thousands of shalmali trees, all lofty, terrible, and stretching over many yojanas.

Verse 3 (skanda.8.38.3)

महाशाखा महापत्रा महाकण्टकसंयुताः । लौहेन महता चैव प्राकारेणाभिसंवृताः

mahāśākhā mahāpatrā mahākaṇṭakasaṁyutāḥ | lauhena mahatā caiva prākāreṇābhisaṁvṛtāḥ

With great branches, great leaves, set with great thorns, and enclosed all about by a mighty wall of iron.

Verse 4 (skanda.8.38.4)

जालेन महता सर्वा उपरिष्ठान् समावृताः । पुरुषास्तत्र तिष्ठन्ति बहवो रुषिताननाः

jālena mahatā sarvā upariṣṭhān samāvṛtāḥ | puruṣāstatra tiṣṭhanti bahavo ruṣitānanāḥ

All are covered above by a vast net. There stand many men, their faces contorted with rage.

Verse 5 (skanda.8.38.5)

वज्रदण्डोपलधरा असिमुद्गरधारिणः । अन्यैश्च विविधाकारैरायुधैर्वृतपाणयः

vajradaṇḍopaladharā asimudgaradhāriṇaḥ | anyaiśca vividhākārairāyudhairvṛtapāṇayaḥ

Bearing thunderbolts, staves, and stones, wielding swords and clubs, and grasping in their hands weapons of many other kinds.

Verse 6 (skanda.8.38.6)

यातयन्ति भृशं जन्तूनवशास्ते सुदारुणाः । छिद्यमानाश्च तत्रापि राक्षसैः क्रूरकर्मभिः

yātayanti bhṛśaṁ jantūnavaśāste sudāruṇāḥ | chidyamānāśca tatrāpi rākṣasaiḥ krūrakarmabhiḥ

Most dreadful, uncontrolled, they torment beings severely, and there too they are cut apart by cruel-deeded rakshasas.

Verse 7 (skanda.8.38.7)

दिशः प्रपद्यते सर्वा वेदनार्तः सुदुःखितः । व्रजते यत्र यत्रासौ तत्र तत्राभिहन्यते

diśaḥ prapadyate sarvā vedanārtaḥ suduḥkhitaḥ | vrajate yatra yatrāsau tatra tatrābhihanyate

Afflicted with pain, greatly suffering, he flees in every direction; but wherever he goes, there too he is struck down.

Verse 8 (skanda.8.38.8)

गर्तेषु पतितं चैव राक्षसाः प्राप्य सर्वशः । शस्त्रैश्च विविधाकारैर्निकृन्तन्त्यतिदारुणाः

garteṣu patitaṁ caiva rākṣasāḥ prāpya sarvaśaḥ | śastraiśca vividhākārairnikṛntantyatidāruṇāḥ

Even fallen into pits, the rakshasas seize him from every side and hack him apart with weapons of many terrible kinds.

Verse 9 (skanda.8.38.9)

श्रावयन्तः पुरानेन कृतं पापं दुरात्मना । भर्त्सयन्तश्च दुर्वृत्तं पतितं क्वचिदेव हि

śrāvayantaḥ purānena kṛtaṁ pāpaṁ durātmanā | bhartsayantaśca durvṛttaṁ patitaṁ kvacideva hi

Reciting aloud the sin committed by that evil-souled one in the past, they reproach that man of wicked conduct, wherever he has fallen.

Verse 10 (skanda.8.38.10)

तत उत्थाय भिन्नाङ्गः सोनुबद्धश्च राक्षसैः । सूचीकण्टकसंयुक्तं देशमन्यं प्रपद्यते

tata utthāya bhinnāṅgaḥ sonubaddhaśca rākṣasaiḥ | sūcīkaṇṭakasaṁyuktaṁ deśamanyaṁ prapadyate

Then rising from there, his limbs shattered, pursued by rakshasas, he arrives at another region set with needle-sharp thorns.

Verse 11 (skanda.8.38.11)

तत्र सूचीभिरुग्राभिः कण्टकैश्चायसैः पुनः । भिद्यमानो नदन् दुःखान्निपतत्यतिदुःखितः

tatra sūcībhirugrābhiḥ kaṇṭakaiścāyasaiḥ punaḥ | bhidyamāno nadan duḥkhānnipatatyatiduḥkhitaḥ

There, pierced by sharp needles and iron thorns, crying out in pain, he falls down, most greatly afflicted.

Verse 12 (skanda.8.38.12)

तत्राप्येनं समासाद्य विविधायुधपाणयः । राक्षसाभिद्रवन्त्येव वैरिणो वैरिणं यथा

tatrāpyenaṁ samāsādya vividhāyudhapāṇayaḥ | rākṣasābhidravantyeva vairiṇo vairiṇaṁ yathā

There too, finding him, rakshasas, weapons of many kinds in hand, rush upon him as an enemy falls upon an enemy.

Verse 13 (skanda.8.38.13)

तस्मादुत्थाय वेगेन वृक्षं यद्यभिरोहति । तत्र तैः कण्टकैस्तीक्ष्णैर्भिद्यते छिद्यतेपि च

tasmādutthāya vegena vṛkṣaṁ yadyabhirohati | tatra taiḥ kaṇṭakaistīkṣṇairbhidyate chidyatepi ca

Rising swiftly from there, should he climb a tree, there too he is pierced and cut by its sharp thorns.

Verse 14 (skanda.8.38.14)

पत्रैश्च विविधाकारैरयस्तुण्डैश्च पक्षिभिः । हृतकर्णाक्षिनासोष्ठः पतितो धरणीतले

patraiśca vividhākārairayastuṇḍaiśca pakṣibhiḥ | hṛtakarṇākṣināsoṣṭhaḥ patito dharaṇītale

By its varied leaves and by birds with beaks of iron, he loses his ears, eyes, nose, and lips, and falls to the ground.

Verse 15 (skanda.8.38.15)

तत्र सूचीभिरुग्राभिः सर्वाङ्गेषु विभिद्यते । एवं बहुविधाकारा यातनास्तत्र दुःखिताः

tatra sūcībhirugrābhiḥ sarvāṅgeṣu vibhidyate | evaṁ bahuvidhākārā yātanāstatra duḥkhitāḥ

There all his limbs are pierced through by sharp needles. Thus torments of many kinds befall the suffering ones there.

Verse 16 (skanda.8.38.16)

प्राप्नुवन्ति दुराचारा ये तान्निगदतः शृणु । अग्निदो गरदाता च वियोनौ यश्च गच्छति

prāpnuvanti durācārā ye tānnigadataḥ śṛṇu | agnido garadātā ca viyonau yaśca gacchati

Now hear who among the wicked attain this fate: the incendiary, the poisoner, and he who has union in a forbidden womb.

Verse 17 (skanda.8.38.17)

पुंसि यो वोच्छृजेच्छुक्रं विषदो मांसविक्रयी । समुद्रयायी दुष्टात्मा यश्चैको मिष्टमश्नुते

puṁsi yo vocchṛjecchukraṁ viṣado māṁsavikrayī | samudrayāyī duṣṭātmā yaścaiko miṣṭamaśnute

One who spends his seed with another male, the seller of poison, the seller of meat; the wicked-souled voyager of the sea, and one who eats sweets alone, without sharing.

Verse 18 (skanda.8.38.18)

अतिथिन्नार्चयेद्यश्च यश्च मिथ्याव्रती भवेत् । ब्रह्महा च विवासाश्च योपः प्रविशते द्विजः

atithinnārcayedyaśca yaśca mithyāvratī bhavet | brahmahā ca vivāsāśca yopaḥ praviśate dvijaḥ

One who does not honour a guest, one who is falsely vowed, the slayer of a Brahmin, one who goes about without proper covering, and the twice-born who enters water while impure.

Verse 19 (skanda.8.38.19)

घण्टिको ग्रामयाजी च शूद्राध्यापक एव च । तथा वार्धुषिको लुब्धो ब्रह्मणश्चैव विक्रयी

ghaṇṭiko grāmayājī ca śūdrādhyāpaka eva ca | tathā vārdhuṣiko lubdho brahmaṇaścaiva vikrayī

The one who misappropriates temple offerings, the priest who serves an entire village indiscriminately, one who teaches the Veda to shudras, the greedy usurer, and one who sells a Brahmin into servitude.

Verse 20 (skanda.8.38.20)

एते गच्छन्ति दुर्वृत्ताः कूटशाल्मलिसंज्ञकम् । कोटीद्वयेन तूत्तीर्णा वर्षाणां वै पुनश्च ते

ete gacchanti durvṛttāḥ kūṭaśālmalisaṁjñakam | koṭīdvayena tūttīrṇā varṣāṇāṁ vai punaśca te

All these of wicked conduct go to the hell named Kutashalmali. When twenty million years have passed there.

Verse 21 (skanda.8.38.21)

उच्छ्रये पातिताः स्तोकं कालं विश्राम्य वै पुनः । पात्यन्ते नरके तस्मिन् यावत् क्षीणं तदेनसम् । एषैव विधिरन्येषां नरकाणां मुने स्मृतः

ucchraye pātitāḥ stokaṁ kālaṁ viśrāmya vai punaḥ | pātyante narake tasmin yāvat kṣīṇaṁ tadenasam | eṣaiva vidhiranyeṣāṁ narakāṇāṁ mune smṛtaḥ

They are cast down into the Ucchraya, and, having rested a brief while, are again cast into that same hell, until their sin is exhausted. O sage, this same procedure is held to apply to all the other hells as well.

Verse 22 (skanda.8.38.22)

य इमं भृशदुःखितोपलम्भं सुकृतीनामतिदुर्गमाचलम् । शृणुयात् प्रयतः कुतूहलात्मा न स गच्छेन्निरयं हि शाल्मलम्

ya imaṁ bhṛśaduḥkhitopalambhaṁ sukṛtīnāmatidurgamācalam | śṛṇuyāt prayataḥ kutūhalātmā na sa gacchennirayaṁ hi śālmalam

Whoever, pure and moved by curiosity, hears this account of the Shalmali mountain, most afflicting and well-nigh impassable even for the virtuous, that person never goes to that hell of Shalmali.