Shloka 33
Naraka-varṇana: The Hellish Planets and the Karmic Logic of Punishment
ये त्विह वै भूतान्युद्वेजयन्ति नरा उल्बणस्वभावा यथा दन्दशूकास्तेऽपि प्रेत्य नरके दन्दशूकाख्ये निपतन्ति यत्र नृप दन्दशूका: पञ्चमुखा: सप्तमुखा उपसृत्य ग्रसन्ति यथा बिलेशयान् ॥ ३३ ॥
ye tv iha vai bhūtāny udvejayanti narā ulbaṇa-svabhāvā yathā dandaśūkās te ’pi pretya narake dandaśūkākhye nipatanti yatra nṛpa dandaśūkāḥ pañca-mukhāḥ sapta-mukhā upasṛtya grasanti yathā bileśayān.
Those who in this life are like envious serpents, always angry and giving pain to other living entities, fall after death into the hell known as Dandaśūka. My dear King, in this hell there are serpents with five or seven hoods. These serpents eat such sinful persons just as snakes eat mice.
FAQs
This verse states that those who habitually frighten and torment other beings out of cruelty incur severe karmic reactions and fall into the hell called Daṇḍaśūka, where they are attacked and swallowed by multi-mouthed serpents.
Śukadeva explains the hellish destinations to educate Parīkṣit about karma and dharma—showing how specific sinful tendencies (like cruelty and terrorizing others) lead to specific reactions—so the listener develops detachment from sin and faith in righteous living and devotion.
Avoid causing fear or harm—whether through violence, intimidation, bullying, or abuse—cultivate ahiṁsā and compassion, and align daily conduct with dharma while strengthening devotion, which purifies the heart and redirects one away from cruel habits.