Srimad Bhagavatam – day 162
Padmanābhāya namah
At times, no matter how hard he tries, a person can never earn enough for a living. When his mind is filled with greed, he does not have the capacity to earn in tune with the level of his greediness. At such times his mind travels towards the wealth of others.
When his efforts to earn money fail totally and he is unable to support his family, he becomes helpless and laments a lot. As he is unable to support them, wife and other relatives no longer give him the love and respect that they used to show earlier. Just as wicked farmer disregards the aged ox, they disregard him totally. Even then he does not attain dispassion!
In this helpless state, he is at the mercy of those whom he had earlier supported and protected. Old age makes him ugly, deformed and infirm. Awaiting death he lays in the house.
Just as people throw food at dogs, he now eats food thrown to him. The digestive fire having become weak he eats very little. As a result he lacks the energy to do work. Due to the pressure of the upward moving air within his body, it appears as if his eyes are bulging out. Due to mucus, his chest will be congested. He suffers from cough and breathlessness. His throat makes weird rattling noises.
When he is thus suffering, his relatives surround him and grieve profusely. As he is caught in the noose called death, he is unable to even respond to them.
Thus, he wasted his entire useful healthy life in earning and maintaining his family and totally neglected focusing on sense-control. Now in his last moments, when his kith and kin are weeping for him, he is drowned in total grief. Suffering in pain and depleted in intelligence, he dies.
At the time of death, he sees the attendants of Lord Yama (lord of death). Their eyes filled with anger, create fear in him. shivering profusely in tension fear he passes urine and feces.
These attendants of Yama put him in a body aptly suited for experiencing his sins. They tie him tightly with ropes around his neck. Just as soldiers drag a culprit, they drag him on the long arduous path that leads to Yama loka (abode of Yama).
Hearing their threats, his heart bursts and he shivers uncontrollably. On the way he will be bitten by many dogs. Recollecting all his sins, he unhappily laments as he travels.
He is tormented by uncontrollable hunger and thirst. He will be burnt under the powerful rays of Sun. Huge sand storms and forest fires torture him throughout the journey. He will have to walk on hot burning sands.
On the path there is no resting place or availability of water to quench the thirst. The attendants of Yama will be whipping him mercilessly. Even though he has lost the energy to walk, he has no choice but to drag his feet and with utmost difficulty continue to walk.
Remember that he is now in a different body. The Lord of death has awarded him this body so as to complete the journey and to experience the sins. The mind and the sins have accompanied him and the mind experiences it all.
There is no end to his suffering. At times he falls down tired or unconscious but is woken up harshly and asked to resume his journey. The attendants of Yama continue to whip him when he falls. He now recollects every deed of his and regretting them, he cries piteously.
In this way, in the dark arduous path, that is aptly suited for sinners, the attendants of Yama drag the being towards Yama loka. The route to Yama loka is 99000 yojanas (1 yojana is 8 miles approx). The attendants of Yama complete this journey in about 2 or 3 muhurtas time.
In this Yama loka he is subject to even more ruthless punishments. These attendants tie his limbs with huge logs of burning wood. They force him to chop his own flesh and eat it. At times they order others to cut his flesh and then they make him eat it.
In this Yama loka, dogs and eagles pull out his intestines even when he is alive there. Snakes, scorpions and wild insects constantly sting and torture him. Every limb of his is shred into bits. His body is crushed by huge elephants. From atop enormous mountains he is flung. He is drowned in huge water bodies or in pits and forcibly asked to remain in them.
The suffering he undergoes cannot be explained. It is impossible! All this is illusion, but still he experiences the pain. Using the illusory energy such scenes are created wherein he repents for his deeds.
Men and women, who had indulged in immoral sexual acts, suffer accordingly for this terrible sin. They suffer in the worst hells known as Tāmiśra, Andhatāmiśra, Rourava etc.
O Mother! People opine that both heaven and hell exist here only. We are able to see the hellish sufferings here on earth too.
The human being, who commits sins either for his own sustenance or for the maintenance of his family, leaves his gross body here upon death. However he takes the accumulated sins along with him.
The human, who maintained his body by cheating others, now leaves his dearest body and travels alone to hell. The punishments that he experiences for his sinful deeds on the path to Yama loka are known as Yama-yātana.
For this reason it is important to be vigilant while committing sins. ‘Pāpa bheeti’ means fear of sin. It is imperative for everyone to fear sin! Irrespective of the deed we should ensure that we walk on that path which will eventually take us to higher planes. We should not hurt anyone through our deeds.
Every type of wrongful deed that is committed during Kali yuga is mentioned in Bhagawatam even though it has been composed many eons back. Every sin and its equivalent punishment are mentioned in it.
Damodarāya namah.