070 Sinners in Hell

Mātali said:

1. I shall (now) tell (you) about the very poignant and very terrible torture caused by Yama (which) all the cruel, sinful killers of brāhmaṇas experience.

2-10. Sometimes the sinful ones are roasted with the fire of dry cow-dung; sometimes they are eaten up by fierce lions, wolves, tigers, gad-flies and worms. Sometimes (they are eaten up) by great leeches, or by huge cobras, and by terrible flies or sometimes by serpents with strong poison. (Sometimes they are eaten up) by great intoxicated and torturing herds of elephants, (or) by great bulls with sharp horns, scratching the path, and by buffaloes with big horns harming the bodies of the wicked, and by fierce female goblins and by terrible demons. Mounted on a great balance and being tormented by very terrible diseases and being burnt in a wild fire, they go (to Yama). They are very speedily shaken by very violent wind, and are shattered all round by the shower ofgreat (slabs of) stone, and by the terrible falls of meteors having a sound like that of thunderbolt. Being struck by the shower of burning charcoal they go (to Yama). Being filled (i.e. covered) with a great shower of dust, they go to Yama. Men who are sinful experience terrible pain. Thus, the most sinful ones, who commit sins, experience, due to their particular sin, hell, full of many tortures.

11. I have thus explained to you all the difference between merit and demerit. What other excellent branch of religious knowledge shall I explain to you?