| Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri 
Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:                                    
“To Hell 
with it!”   What would be the worst fate 
you would wish for an adversary? When you consider someone’s offence to be 
extremely heinous, unspeakably atrocious and wicked beyond measure, what 
punishment would you wish upon the offender? Though human laws do prescribe 
appropriate penalties for transgressions, ranging from a mere censure from the 
court and release on assurances of good conduct, to capital punishment, 
traditionally some offences have been considered too monstrous to be dealt with 
under mere human laws. Again, when the criminal escapes the clutches of law (as 
happens many a time in the case of those with money and muscle-power), does it 
mean that he does indeed go scot-free, totally unpunished for his offences? Is 
there a mechanism to ensure that offenders are brought to book without fail and 
made to repent for their wrongdoings? Yet another question relates to wicked 
thoughts, as opposed to deeds—under our legal procedures, mere thoughts, as long 
as they are not translated into action, are not punishable, whether they relate 
to wishing somebody dead or coveting someone else’s lawfully wedded spouse. Yet, 
since it is the thought that forms the seed of action, one would feel that such 
thoughts too should attract some form of retribution. However, (fortunately for 
people like me) how to identify, recognise and appropriately punish such thought 
processes remains beyond human capabilities.   The concept of Hell, as a 
place where just retribution is meted out to offenders, is as old as the hills. 
There appears to be rare unanimity among religions on this—we Hindus call it 
“Narakam”, for the Christians it is “Hell” and for the Muslims, “Jahnham” (or 
some similar sounding word). Even if someone manages to evade human law, we are 
told that the long arm of the Lord would ensure for him or her a spell in Hell, 
to cure him or her of sinful inclinations.   However, do Hell and Heaven 
really exist as separate places, where the wicked and the good respectively go? 
As some people say, are they not to be experienced in one’s own mind, which 
torments one when one does something wrong and is extremely happy when one 
performs some meritorious deed? Or, as the atheists say, are they mere figments 
of imagination, created by elders to ensure adherence to accepted norms of 
social and personal behaviour?   As firm believers in that 
supreme body of knowledge, the Shruti (Vedas), we are curious to know whether 
this compendium has anything to say in the matter. As essentially all wisdom 
beyond the grasp of our frail faculties has necessarily to be accessed from the 
Vedas, we scour the vast body of the Shruti for any mention of Narakam, the 
place inhabited by pApAtmAs. And we do come up with several, especially in the 
aruNa Prasnam of the TaittirIya Aranyakam--    “DakshiNa poorvasyAm disi visarpI 
naraka:--tasmAt na: paripAhi  uttara poorvasyAm disi vishAdI naraka: 
tasmAt na: paripAhi”   These lines from the 
AraNyakam tell us that Narakam does exist, and incorporate a prayer to the Lord 
to save us from these hellish fires. Additional proof, if needed, 
is furnished by the Sri Vishnu Puranam, which says that these worlds of sinners 
are located beneath the earth and the waters—   “tatascha narakA vipra! 
BhuvO adha: salilasya cha  pApinO yEshu nivasantE tAn shruNu 
mahAmunE!”   And 
it would appear that “Narakam” is not just a single world, but is the generic 
name for a group of worlds inhabited by offenders of various types and hues. We 
thus hear of a good number of “narakam”s, each intended for a specific type of 
wickedness, with punishments varying accordingly. The same Vishnu Purana 
catalogues a sample list of narakams—Rouravam, Sookaram, ROdham, TAlam, 
Vishasanam, MahAjvAlA, Taptakumbham, lavaNam, VilOhitam, RudhirAmbham, 
VaitaraNi, KrimIsam, KrimibhOjanam, asipatravanam, Krishnam, DAruNam, 
lAlAbhaksham, Pooyavaham, PApam, Sandamsam, VahnijvAlA, adha:shirA, aprathistta, 
aprachi, KAlasootram, Tamas, AvIchI, ShvabhOjanam, etc. Lest we derive comfort 
from the rather short list of hells indicated, the Purana hastens to assure us 
that the aforesaid is just the tip of the iceberg and there are hundreds and 
thousands of Narakams,e each intended for a certain type of 
offender—   “EtE cha anyE cha narakA: 
shatasOtha sahasrasa: yEshu dushkrita karmANa: 
pachyantE yAtanAgatA:”   Defining the pre-requisite for a spell in hell, the Purana tells us that sin is nothing but behaviour incompatible with the codes of conduct prescribed for people belonging to various VarNAs and AshramAs (stages of life, viz., student, householder, ascetic, etc.). Those who violate these dicta fall into one or the other of the aforesaid narakAs. And, for our comfort, the Scripture adds that these offences need not be actual deeds—even sinful thoughts and words consign one to the horrible worlds below—“KarmaNA manasA vAchA nirayEshu patanti tE”. This then is the important difference between human law and the divine—You might be guilty of any amount of evil thoughts, but as long as you hide them well behind a law-abiding façade, no government can prosecute you. The arm of the divine law has, however, a greater reach and is able to discern wickedness in thought too and award appropriate punishment.   We 
are filled with horror at all this ghoulish spiel. Is there no way we can avoid 
these fires of hell? We know from practice that it is impossible for us to 
refrain from committing sin, one way or the other, for, Sin seems such an 
all-encompassing word. Even a smile of derision at some one wearing TirumaN, 
even a word in a lighter vein making fun of someone’s orthodoxy, even a single 
thought coveting someone else’s belonging—all these would reserve for us a place 
in hell. Given the impossibility of strict adherence to divine dicta in the 
present day and age, how then can we avoid falling into the fires of hell? 
   The 
same Purana, which furnishes a graphic description of hellish worlds, also 
prescribes for us ways of avoiding the same, by telling us to perform 
“PrAyaschittam” or atonement. For each and every type of transgression, ShAstrAs 
lay down the type of atonement to be adopted. If one takes recourse to these, 
then one is saved from the aforesaid worlds of chastisement. However, if one is 
hard nut, one must definitely undergo purification in one or the other of 
“narakam”s, to cleanse one of the cloying stigma of sin—   “pApa krit  yAti narakam prAyaschitta 
parAngmukha:”.   We must remember that 
atonement demands an appropriate frame of mind, the mind made sorrowful by the 
act of sin committed and keen to make amends through atonement. Thus, “PaschAt 
tApam” or remorse at having committed the sin, is an essential pre-requisite for 
atonement.   However, when we go through 
the list of atonements prescribed by MaharshIs, we feel we might as well spend a 
spell in hell and be done with it, for, the PrAyaschittams laid down for each 
sin appear indeed impossible of performance, given our current physical and 
mental state. Many of these atonal acts involve prolonged periods of fasting and 
other forms of physical inconvenience, which appear much beyond frail mortals 
like us. What then is our fate—is there no way for us to avoid the rigours of 
hell? Are we destined to rot in hell forever, for, our predilection for the 
forbidden act is proverbial and, in the absence of atonement therefor, what else 
awaits us but hell?   “Despair not!”, the Purana 
tells us, showing us a way out and an easy one at that. Not only does it 
prescribe an act that is a comprehensive PrAyaschittam for sins of all types, 
but one that is sweet and pleasurable in performance. Can you ever find a 
panacea, a sure-cure for all ills, which is simultaneously and incredibly tasty? 
Sri Vishnu Purana tells us that of all types of PrAyaschittam, the best is to 
think about the Lord, with a mind full of remorse for the violation of His 
dicta—   “PrAyaschittAni asEshANi 
tapa: karmAtmakAni vai yAni tEshAm asEshANAm 
KrishNa anusmaraNam param”   What could be easier, what 
could be sweeter to the mind and tongue, what could be more cleansing, than to 
think of and utter the Krishna nAmA?    Sri Kulasekshara Azhwar 
wonders at the propensity of people to live lives steeped in sin, when there is 
any number of the Lord’s names, which one could chant and think about, capable 
of instantly cleansing of them of all sins. Why could one not say “Ananta”, 
“Vaikunta”, “Mukunda”, “Krishna”, ”Govinda”, “Damodara”, “Madhava” etc., which 
are incredibly sweet on the tongue and also act as purifiers, wonders 
Azhwar—   “ananta Vaikuntta Mukunda 
Krishna GOvinda DAmOdara MAdhava iti    vaktum samartthOpi na vakti 
kaschit ahO! JanAnAm vyasana abhimukhyam!”   Realising that we would 
never consciously utter or contemplate the Lord’s holy names, Sri Periazhwar 
suggests an easier way to ensure that we derive the benefit of the exercise-just 
name your children after Emperuman, so that each time you call your child, you 
accumulate merit and ward-off sin. Azhwar extends the categorical assurance that 
this is the way to avoid the rigours of hell— ““MAnida sAdiyil tOndrittOr 
mAnida sAdiyayi MAnida sAdiyin pEr ittAl 
marumaikku illai VAnudai Madhava! Govinda! 
Endru azhaitthkkAl NAnidai NAranan tam annai 
narakam pugAL”    Azhwar’s assurance appears 
to be based on the story of ajAmiLa, who, when on his deathbed, called to his 
infant son Narayana and was transported to Vishnu lOkam, despite his numerous 
transgressions.   We have seen how terrifying 
hell and its keepers are. Azhwars speak of an occasion when the entire cruel 
hell was transformed into a heavenly abode. How could this be possible, we 
wonder. Azhwar elaborates in the following TirumAlai 
pAsuram—   “namanum Murkalanum pEsa, 
narakil nindrArgaL kEtpa narakamE Svargam Agum 
nAmangaL udaya nambi avanadu oor arangam ennAdu 
ayartthu veezhndu aLiya mAndar kavalayuL padugindrAr endru 
adanukkE kavalgindrEnE”   In a glowing tribute to the 
glory of the Lord’s holy names, Sri Tondarappodi Azhwar recounts the episode of 
a conversation between Mudgala and Yamadharma rAjA. Mudgala was an extremely 
wicked person, guilty of innumerable acts of sin. Quite unusually for him, he 
gifted a cow to a Brahmin one day, accompanying it with the words, “Let this be 
for Krishna” (“KrishNAya nama:”). When he died and reached YamalOka, 
Yamadharmaraja himself received him with all honour and acclaim. When the 
surprised Mudgala sought the reason for the unusual reception, Yama told him 
that the single word “Krishna” uttered by Mudgala during the “GOdAnam” earlier, 
had rid him of all evil.    The beneficial effects of 
the single utterance of the Krishna nAma did not stop with Mudgala. Those in 
Naraka who listened to the conversation between Yama and Mudgala, and, in the 
process, to the Krishna nAmA, were instantly absolved of their sins. What is 
more, the entire hell was immediately transformed into heaven, lock, stock and 
barrel.   Such indeed is the efficacy 
of the holy name of the Lord, which is capable of benefiting even those who 
utter or listen to it, by sheer accident, without any instinct of devotion or 
adulation. Azhwar’s pasuram is in turn based on the Sri Vishnu Dharmam, where 
the episode is narrated in detail.   For those who are unable 
even to utter the short and sweet names of the Lord, Azhwar has another 
prescription for saving them from the fires of hell. A mere mention of the 
hallowed abodes of Emperuman would, by itself, ensure that none goes to Narakam: 
indeed, if everyone were to just say the name of a divyadesam once, it would 
render the hellish worlds uninhabited and desolate, says Azhwar in the following 
pasuram—   “arivilA manisar ellAm 
arangam endru azhaippar Agil poriyil vAzh narakam ellAm 
pullezhundu ozhiyum andrE”    There is something worse than even Narakam, we are told by Sri Nammazhwar. Once we undergo punishment for the particular series of sins, we are freed from hell and are reborn on earth. Thus sojourn in hell is a time-bound thing. There is, on the other hand, an infinite prison sentence imposed on all Jeevatmas, which makes them hop from one body to another interminably and to remain imprisoned eternally in one mortal coil or the other. This is SamsAram, which makes people remain bound forever, unable to rid themselves of the powerful shackles of Karma. If Narakam can be compared to a long and dark night, Samsara is unending gloom, a permanent blackout, an interminable tunnel without a hint of light, says Sri Nammazhwar— “VidiyA 
vennarakam”.   We have seen that there are 
ways of keeping out of hell—but are there ways of escaping the unending pall of 
gloom that is Samsara?   Instead of a PrAyaschittam 
for each individual sin, is there a one-time, cover-all atonement, which would 
serve as a massive cleansing agent, ridding us all of all types of sin? And is 
there such a panacea, which would ensure that even in future, unintended 
offences would not stain us with sin?    Though this appears too much 
to ask for, there is indeed a procedure for getting rid of our baggage of 
accumulated misdeeds, while simultaneously ensuring that we remain untainted by 
offences during the rest of our lives on earth. Prapatti or Sharanagati is the 
universal atonement for all our sins past and present, and, when performed 
through a benign Acharya, ensures that we never even peep into hell, however 
major our sins be. Unlike other atonements, it is not hard of performance nor 
anywhere as demanding. All it requires is the right attitude of mind, the 
resolution to toe the right path henceforth, to avoid the path of sin and of 
absolute conviction in and total surrender to our Lord and Master, giving 
ourselves up to Him, heart and soul. If Tapas or Penance is prescribed as 
atonement for major sins, this Sharanagati is rated even higher than Penance, 
says the Upanishad—   “TasmAt NyAsam EshAm tapasAm 
atiriktam Ahu:”    Once we perform Prapatti, we 
can challenge the minions of hell with impunity and tell them, “To hell with 
you!”,as does Sri Nammazhwar—   “Poliga poliga poliga, 
pOyittru valluyir shApam  naliyum narakamum nainda namanukku ingu 
yAdondrum illai”.   Srimate Sri LakshmINrisimha 
divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana Yatindra Mahadesikaya 
nama: dasan, 
sadagopan 
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