The description of the human body
Savitrl said— О Dharmaraja, О great lord, you are the best among those well-versed in the Vedas, you arc the profounder of the Puranas, the history and the philosophy of Pancarcitra. Therefore you tell me the true form of tattva, the one which is dearest of all, adorable by all and is responsible for the destruction from the roots of the deeds of the human-beings who is praised by everyone, is the bestower of welfare and glory besides dharma and is the welfare of all the welfares. You kindly enlighten me on the subject to enable me to relieve myself of the tortures of Yama and the worldly miseries. О great person, you tell me about the action by performing which one should not have a sight at the various types of hells and one should not fall into them besides freeing oneself from the cycle of birth and death.
What are the size of the Kundas, what are their basis and how do the sinners dwell in them.
After the dead body is burnt, the soul travels to the other regions, then how does he suffer the result of his deeds and in what forms.
Why then the ethereal body is not destroyed after suffering so much of fortune? Therefore О Brahmana, what is the form at of that ctherial body you kindly explain to me.
Narayana said—О Narada, having been so asked by Savitrl, Dharmaraja remembered lord Visnu and bowing before his teacher he started speaking.
Yama said—О daughter, all the four Vedas, the Samhitas, the Puranas, history, Pancaratra and other scriptures have highlighted this point. All other scriptures also point towards the same. The adoration of lord Krsna is the desire of all and provides welfare to all.
This relieves one of the birth, death, old age, disease, grief, sufferings and provides for welfare and bliss. It is the cause of all success and makes one to cross over the ocean of hell. It makes the tree of devotion sprout in one’s mind and destroys the tree of actions in one’s body.
This is the step towards proceeding to Goloka; it never vanishes and leads to the eternal place and four types of Moksas.
О glorious one, thus becoming the slave of lord Krsna, such a person is relieved of all the kundas and messengers of Yama. Yama and his messengers do not trouble him even in dream. The good nature house-holders should adore him, lake a bath at the sacred places of the lord and do not take food on Ekadasl day, adore the lord daily making offerings to him, do not reach the hell which is my abode.
Those Brahmanas who perform the sandhyas thrice a day, whose actions are spotless, who are engrossed in religious activities and remain peaceful, they do not have to go to the abode of Yama. They enjoy the comforts of the heaven, the other people also w’ho are very clean in their approach and serve the other gods, they travel between heaven and earth and from earth to heaven. But they do not achieve salvation because without the adoration of lord Krsna, the people cannot be freed from the cycle of birth and death. 1
The messengers of Yama are quite terrific ones, but finding a devotee of lord Krsna they disappear so rapidly like the serpent who vanishes in no time on the arrival of Garuda. Thereafter even after getting engaged in their own dharma they get relieved of their own dharma. When the messengers of Yama holding the noose in their hands get ready to descent on earth, then I tell those messengers that “You should go lo every place but never go to the place of the devotees of lord Krsna. In case the names of the devotees of lord Krsna are return erroneously, the messengers, of Yama get terrified and Citragupta removes them (from the list) with folded hands. Brahma serves them offering Madhuparka. Such devotees of Visnu cross the Brahmaloka and proceed on to Goloka the abode of Krsna. Such devotees of Krsna while proceeding on to Goloka to whomsoever they come in touch wdth, all their sins are removed.
As the dry wood and the hay burns out in flames, similarly (at the sight of devotees of Vis nu) the illusion also disappears getting terrified.
The god of love goes to the passionate person; the greed and the anger also flee at his sight; death, disease, old age, grief and fear vanish at the sight of the devotees of Vishnu.
Similarly Kala, good or bad deeds, pleasures and pain also disappear. Thus they do not visit the abode of Yama at my command.
Now I tell you about the formation of the body as ordained in the scriptures. You listen to me attentively. There are five elements in the universe comprising of the earth, the wind, the sky, the fire and the water. They are put in a body with the soul and thus the body is created by the creator, which is created by the five elements as explained above.
The perishable elements are reduced to dust on the earth. Thereafter they proceed to the hell in the form of a thumb in order to face the reward of their deeds. The said body is known as the ethereal body (Suksma-sarira).
This ethereal body does not vanish in the fire in the hell nor by torture or any other weapon or the fire. Even the burning iron or the burning stone can have no effect on the same.
It does not vanish by embracing a burning image or by a fall from great heights. It does not bum. It does not break but only suffers from pain.
О goddess, I have thus told you everything about the ethereal body as has been described in the scriptures.
I am now describing about the different pits (kundas) in the hell. You listen to me.
