Chapter XXXI
On the Yama’s giving S’akti Mantra to Sâvitrî
1-2. Nârâyana said :– O Nârada! Hearing thus the supreme nature of Mûla Prakriti from Dharmarâja Yama, the two eyes of Sâvitrî were filled with tears of joy and her whole body was filled with a thrill of rapture, joy and ecstacy. She again addressed Yama :– “O Dharmarâja! To sing the glories of Mûla Prakriti is the only means of saving all. This takes away the old age and death of both the speaker and the hearer.
3-12. This is the Supreme Place of the Dânavas, the Siddhas, the ascetics. This is the Yoga of the Yogins and this is studying the Vedas of the Vaidiks. Nothing can compare even to one sixteenth of the sixteenth parts of the (full) merits of those who are in S’akti’s Service; call it Mukti, immortality, or attaining endless Siddhis, nothing can come to it. O Thou, the foremost of the Knowers of the Vedas! I have heard by and by everything from Thee. Now describe to me how to worship Mûla Prakriti and what are the ends of karmas, auspicious and inauspicious.” Thus saying, the chaste Sâvitrî bowed down her head and began to praise Yama in stotras according to the Vedas. She said :– “O Dharmarâjan! The Sun practised of yore very hard austerities at Puskara and worshipped Dharma. On this, Dharma Himself became born of Sûrya as his son. And Thou art that son of Sûrya, the incarnation of Dharma. So I bow down to Thee. Thou art the Witness of all the Jîvas; Thou seest them equally; hence Thy name is Samana. I bow down to Thee. Sometimes Thou by Thy own will takest away the lives of beings. Hence Thy name is Kritânta. Obeisance to Thee! Thou holdest the rod to distribute justice and pronounce sentence on them and to destroy the sins of the Jîvas; hence Thy name is Dandadhara; so I bow down to Thee. (Note :– Any Jîva, in course of his travelling towards Mukti, can expect to pass through the stage Yamaship; and if he pleases, he can become a Yama.) At all times Thou destroyest the universe. None can resist Thee. Hence Thou art named Kâla; so obeisance to Thee! Thou art an ascetic, devoted to Brahmâ, self-controlled, and the distributor of the fruits of Karmas to the Jîvas; Thou restrainest Thy senses. Hence Thou art called Yama. Therefore I bow down to Thee.
13-17. Thou art delighted with Thy Own Self; Thou art omniscient; Thou art the Tormentor of the sinners and the Friend of the Virtuous. Hence Thy name is Punya Mitra; so I bow down to Thee. Thou art born as a part of Brahmâ; the fire of Brahmâ is shining through Thy body. Thou dost meditate on Para Brahmâ, Thou art the Lord. Obeisance to Thee!” O Muni! Thus praising Yama, She bowed down at the feet of Him. Yama gave her the mantra of Mûla Prakriti. How to worship Her and He began to recite the fruition of good Karmas. O Nârada! He who recites these eight hymns to Yama early in the morning, getting up from his bed, is freed of the fear of death. Rather he becomes freed of all his sins. So much so, that even if he be a veritable awful sinner and if he recites daily with devotion this Yamâstakam, Yama purifies him thoroughly.
Here ends the Thirty-first Chapter of the Ninth Book on the Yama’s giving S’akti Mantra to Sâvitrî in the Mahâpurânam S’rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.
Chapter XXXII
On the enumeration of various hells for sinners
1-28. Nârâyana said :– Then, initiating her with the Great Seed, the Âdi Radical Mantra of the Mahâ S’akti, S’rî Bhuvanes’varî in accordance with due rules, the son of Sûrya began to recite the various effects of various Karmas, auspicious and inauspicious. Never do the persons go to hell when they perform good Karmas; it is only the bad works that lead men to hells. The different Purânas narrate various heavens. The Jîvas go to those places as the effects of their various good Karmas. The good Karmas do not lead men to hells; but the bad Karmas do lead them veritably to various hideous hells. In different S’âstras, different hell-pits are ascertained. Different works lead men to different hells. O Child! Those hell-pits are very wide, deep, painful and tormenting, very horrible and ugly. Of these, eighty six pits or Kundas are prominent. Many other Kundas exist. Now listen to the names of the Kundas mentioned in the Vedas. Their names are :– Vahni Kunda, Tapta Kunda, Ksâra Kunda, Bhayânaka Kunda, Vit Kunda, Mûtra Kunda, S’lesma Kunda, Gara Kunda, Dûsikâ Kunda, Vasâ Kunda, S’ukra Kunda, S’onita Kunda, As’rû Kunda, Gâtramala Kunda, Karnamala Kunda, Majjâ Kunda, Mâmsa Kunda, impassable Nakra Kunda, Loma Kunda, Kes’a Kunda, impassable Asthi Kunda, Tâmra Kunda, the exceedingly hot and painful Lauha Kunda (the pit of molten iron), Charma Kunda, the hot Surâ Kunda, sharp Thorny Kunda, Visa Kunda, the hot Taila Kunda, very heavy Astra Kunda, Krimi Kunda, Pûya Kunda, terrible Sarpa Kunda, Mas’aka Kunda, Dams’a Kunda, dreadful Garala Kunda, Vajra Damstra Vris’chika Kunda, S’ara Kunda, Sûla Kunda, awful Khadga Kunda, Gola Kunda, Nakra Kunda, sorrowful Kâka Kunda, Manthâna Kunda, Vîja Kunda, painful Vajra Kunda, hot Pâts’âna Kunda, sharp Pâs’âna Kunda, Lâlâ Kunda, Masî Kunda, Chakra Kunda, Vakra Kunda, very terrible Kurma Kunda, Jvâlâ Kunda, Bhasma Kunda, Dagdha Kunda, and others. Besides these, there are the Taptasûchî, Asipatra, Ksuradhâra, Sûchîmukha, Gokhâmûkha, Kûmbhîpâka, Kâlasûtra, Matsyoda, Krimi, Kantuka, Pâms’ubhojya, Pâs’avesta, Sûlaprota, Prakampana, Ulkâmakha, Andhakûpa, Vedhana, Tâdana, Jâlarandhra, Dehachûrna, Dalana, S’osana, Kasa, S’ûrpa, Jvâlâmûkha, Dhûmândha, Nâgavestana and various others. O Savitri! The Kundas give much pain and torment greatly the sinners; they are under the constant watch of innumerable servants. They hold rods in their hands; some of them have nooses; others hold clubs, S’aktis, awful scimitars; they are fierce fanatics, maddened with vanity. All are filled with Tamogunas, merciless, irresistible, energetic, fearless and tawny-eyed (like copper). Some of them are Yogis; some are Siddhas, they assume various forms. When the sinners are about to die, they see these servants of Yama. But those who do their own duties, who are S’âktas, Sauras, or Gânapatyas or those who are virtuous Siddha Yogis, they never see the servants of Yama. Those who are engaged in their own Dharmas, who are possessed of wisdom, who are endowed with knowledge, who are mentally strong, who are untouched by fear, who are endowed with the feelings of the Devas, and those who are real Vaisnavas, they never see these servants of Yama. O Chaste One! Thus I have enumerated to you the Kundas. Now hear who live in the Kundas.
Here ends the Thirty-second Chapter of the Ninth Book on the enumeration of various hells for sinners in the Mahâpurânam S’rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.
