Adhyaya 203
Chapter 203 — नरकस्वरूपम् (Naraka-svarūpa: The Nature of Hell)
火神阿耆尼向婆悉吒说明：众生于临终与死后，业力因果如何展开。他先宣示护持之要义：以花等供品礼敬毗湿奴，可免堕地狱；而死亡发生于具身者遭遇近因之时，如水、火、毒、兵刃、饥饿、疾病或坠落。其后，吉瓦（jīva）随业受生，得与所作相应之身——作恶者受苦，行法者得乐。阿耆尼又述亡后行程：阎摩可怖的使者引罪人由南门走“恶道”，而正直之人则循他途。全章核心在于列举诸“那罗迦”（naraka，地狱）及其刑罚，将暴力、盗窃、邪淫、玷污祭仪、怠忽本分等过失，对应到具体的地狱受报。末段由惧转治：恒常修持誓戒（vrata），尤以一月斋戒、守持爱迦达希（Ekādaśī）与毗湿摩五日（Bhīṣma-pañcaka），作为依正法防护，避免那罗迦之命运。
Shlokas
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Frequently Asked Questions
Devotion expressed as Viṣṇu-pūjā—specifically worship with offerings beginning with flowers—functions as a protective dharmic force that prevents naraka-gati, complemented by vrata disciplines (month-long fast, Ekādaśī, Bhīṣma-pañcaka).
It presents a sequence: death via proximate causes, acquisition of a karmically appropriate body, guidance by Yamadūtas toward Yama, and allocation to specific narakas where punishments correspond to specific transgressions.