Devanagari
अत्रैव नरक: स्वर्ग इति मात: प्रचक्षते ।
या यातना वै नारक्यस्ता इहाप्युपलक्षिता: ॥ २९ ॥
Verse text
atraiva narakaḥ svarga
iti mātaḥ pracakṣate
yā yātanā vai nārakyas
tā ihāpy upalakṣitāḥ
Synonyms
atra
—
in this world
;
eva
—
even
;
narakaḥ
—
hell
;
svargaḥ
—
heaven
;
iti
—
thus
;
mātaḥ
—
O mother
;
pracakṣate
—
they say
;
yāḥ
—
which
;
yātanāḥ
—
punishments
;
vai
—
certainly
;
nārakyaḥ
—
hellish
;
tāḥ
—
they
;
iha
—
here
;
api
—
also
;
upalakṣitāḥ
—
visible .
Translation
Lord Kapila continued: My dear mother, it is sometimes said that we experience hell or heaven on this planet, for hellish punishments are sometimes visible on this planet also.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
O mother! They say that in this world hell and heaven are also experienced. Hellish punishments are seen in this world also.
The experiences of hell are not impossible, for there are examples in this world. Even in this world when a king punishes someone, he may tear off limbs. Or sometimes there may be enjoyments such as garlands, sandalwood or women.
Purport
Sometimes unbelievers do not accept these statements of scripture regarding hell. They disregard such authorized descriptions. Lord Kapila therefore confirms them by saying that these hellish conditions are also visible on this planet. It is not that they are only on the planet where Yamarāja lives. On the planet of Yamarāja, the sinful man is given the chance to practice living in the hellish conditions which he will have to endure in the next life, and then he is given a chance to take birth on another planet to continue his hellish life. For example, if a man is to be punished to remain in hell and eat stool and urine, then first of all he practices such habits on the planet of Yamarāja, and then he is given a particular type of body, that of a hog, so that he can eat stool and think that he is enjoying life. It is stated previously that in any hellish condition, the conditioned soul thinks he is happy. Otherwise, it would not be possible for him to suffer hellish life.