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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.

 

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 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. This is SamsAram, which makes people remain bound forever, unable to 
rid themselves of their powerful shackles of Karma. If Narakam can be compared 
to a long and dark night, Samsara is unending gloom, a permanent black-out, 
says Sri Nammazhwar-

"VidiyA vennarakam".

We have seen that there are ways of keeping out of hell-but are there ways of 
avoiding this 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



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]




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