Srimad Bhagavatam — Panchama Skandha, Shloka 14
Naraka-varṇana: The Hellish Planets and the Karmic Logic of Punishment
यस्त्विह ब्रह्मध्रुक स कालसूत्रसंज्ञके नरके अयुतयोजनपरिमण्डले ताम्रमये तप्तखले उपर्यधस्तादग्न्यर्काभ्यामतितप्यमानेऽभिनिवेशित: क्षुत्पिपासाभ्यां च दह्यमानान्तर्बहि:शरीर आस्ते शेते चेष्टतेऽवतिष्ठति परिधावति च यावन्ति पशुरोमाणि तावद्वर्षसहस्राणि ॥ १४ ॥
yas tv iha brahma-dhruk sa kālasūtra-saṁjñake narake ayuta-yojana-parimaṇḍale tāmramaye tapta-khale upary-adhastād agny-arkābhyām ati-tapyamāne ’bhiniveśitaḥ kṣut-pipāsābhyāṁ ca dahyamānāntar-bahiḥ-śarīra āste śete ceṣṭate ’vatiṣṭhati paridhāvati ca yāvanti paśu-romāṇi tāvad varṣa-sahasrāṇi.
Le meurtrier d’un brāhmaṇa est jeté dans l’enfer nommé Kālasūtra, vaste cercle de cuivre d’un périmètre d’ayuta-yojanas. Chauffé par le feu en dessous et par le soleil brûlant au-dessus, sa surface est d’une chaleur extrême. Là, il brûle intérieurement de faim et de soif, et extérieurement sous l’ardeur du soleil et du feu; ainsi tantôt il s’allonge, tantôt il s’assoit, tantôt il se tient debout, tantôt il court çà et là. Il doit souffrir ainsi pendant des milliers d’années, autant qu’il y a de poils sur le corps d’un animal.
FAQs
In Canto 5, Chapter 26, Śukadeva describes Kāla-sūtra as a hell where brahma-dhruk offenders are placed on a blazing copper surface and tormented by heat, hunger, and thirst for an extremely long duration.
He explains the consequences of sinful and anti-dharmic actions so that Parīkṣit (and listeners) develop detachment from sin, fear of offense, and seriousness about spiritual life and devotion.
Avoid harming or disrespecting sacred knowledge, truthful conduct, and saintly persons; cultivate humility and dharma, and take shelter of bhakti to purify tendencies that lead to grave offenses.