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Lord Mahāvīra and His Times
A pious monk, free from bonds and fetters, annihilates his. bad Karma and removes the thorn of sin... Following the rules. of right conduct, he exerts himself.2
Sentient beings engage themselves in the following kinds. of activities : sinning for one's own interest, sinning without a personal interest, sinning by staying, through accident, by error or sight, by lying, by taking what is not freely given, by mere conceit, through pride, through greed, through deceit, through bad treatment of one's friends, and actions concerning a religious life.3 HELLS
In hell there is suffering from heat and cold.4 The sinners are cut, pierced, and hacked to pieces with swords and daggers, with darts and javelins. They undergo sharp, horrible, and acute pain. The imprudent sinners, who injure many. beings without relenting, will go to hells and cross the river Vaitarani, the waves of which cut like sharp razors. They are pierced with long pikes and tridents. They roll about and are roasted in the Kadamba Bāhula river.8 They come to the great impassable hell called Asūrya,' where the Sun does. not shine. Here also they are roasted.10 The sinners are hewn with axes like pieces of timber. They are stewed in iron caldrons filled with their own blood.11 They are not reduced to ashes. They undergo this kind of punishment for their misdeeds. 12 In hells sinners suffer on account of their sinful deeds done by them while on earth. The noses, ears, and lips of the sinners are cut off with razors and their tongues are pulled out 1. Sūtra, I, 1, 8, 10: 2. Ibid, 1, 8, 11. 3. Ibid, 2, 2, 4. 4. Uttara, XIX, 47-48. 5. Sūtra, I, 5, 1, 5. 6. Ibid, 5, 1, 8. 7. Ibid, 5. I, 9. 8. Ibid, I, 5, 1, 10. 9. Ibid, 5, 1, 11. 10. Ibid, 5, 1, 12. 11. Ibid, 5, 1, 15. 12. Ibid, 5. 1, 16.
