Srimad Bhagavatam — Panchama Skandha, Shloka 21
Naraka-varṇana: The Hellish Planets and the Karmic Logic of Punishment
यस्त्विह वै सर्वाभिगमस्तममुत्र निरये वर्तमानं वज्रकण्टकशाल्मलीमारोप्य निष्कर्षन्ति ॥ २१ ॥
yas tv iha vai sarvābhigamas tam amutra niraye vartamānaṁ vajrakaṇṭaka-śālmalīm āropya niṣkarṣanti.
纵欲滥交甚至与动物苟合者，死后将被带往名为“金刚刺丝棉”（Vajrakaṇṭaka-śālmalī）的地狱。在那里，阎罗王的差役将其挂在长满如雷电般坚硬尖刺的树上，并强行向下拉扯，致使其身体被严重撕裂。
The sexual urge is so strong that sometimes a man indulges in sexual relations with a cow, or a woman indulges in sexual relations with a dog. Such men and women are put into the hell known as Vajrakaṇṭaka-śālmalī. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement forbids illicit sex. From the description of these verses, we can understand what an extremely sinful act illicit sex is. Sometimes people disbelieve these descriptions of hell, but whether one believes or not, everything must be carried out by the laws of nature, which no one can avoid.
FAQs
In Canto 5, Chapter 26, this verse states that a person who illicitly seeks sexual access indiscriminately is taken to a hellish condition and tormented on a thorn-covered śālmalī tree, being raised up and dragged down.
Śukadeva explains the workings of karma to awaken detachment and moral restraint in the listener, showing that irreligious acts have precise reactions and urging a life aligned with dharma and devotion.
Practice self-discipline in relationships, avoid exploitative or illicit conduct, and cultivate purity through regulated life, prayer, and bhakti—redirecting desire toward service of Bhagavān.