SB 5.26.28 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

यस्त्विह वा अनृतं वदति साक्ष्ये द्रव्यविनिमये दाने वा कथञ्चित्स वै प्रेत्य नरकेऽवीचिमत्यध:शिरा निरवकाशे योजनशतोच्छ्रायाद् गिरिमूर्ध्न: सम्पात्यते यत्र जलमिव स्थलमश्मपृष्ठमवभासते तदवीचिमत्तिलशो विशीर्यमाणशरीरो न म्रियमाण: पुनरारोपितो निपतति ॥ २८ ॥

Verse text

yas tv iha vā anṛtaṁ vadati sākṣye dravya-vinimaye dāne vā kathaṣcit sa vai pretya narake ’vīcimaty adhaḥ-śirā niravakāśe yojana-śatocchrāyād giri-mūrdhnaḥ sampātyate yatra jalam iva sthalam aśma-pṛṣṭham avabhāsate tad avīcimat tilaśo viśīryamāṇa-śarīro na mriyamāṇaḥ punar āropito nipatati.

Synonyms

yaḥ — anyone who ; tu — but ; iha — in this life ; vā — or ; anṛtam — a lie ; vadati — speaks ; sākṣye — giving witness ; dravya — vinimaye — in exchange for goods ; dāne — in giving charity ; vā — or ; kathaṣcit — somehow ; saḥ — that person ; vai — indeed ; pretya — after dying ; narake — in the hell ; avīcimati — named Avīcimat (having no water) ; adhaḥ — śirāḥ — with his head downward ; niravakāśe — without support ; yojana — śata — of eight hundred miles ; ucchrāyāt — having a height ; giri — of a mountain ; mūrdhnaḥ — from the top ; sampātyate — is thrown ; yatra — where ; jalam iva — like water ; sthalam — land ; aśma — pṛṣṭham — having a surface of stone ; avabhāsate — appears ; tat — that ; avīcimat — having no water or waves ; tilaśaḥ — in pieces as small as seeds ; viśīryamāṇa — being broken ; śarīraḥ — the body ; na mriyamāṇaḥ — not dying ; punaḥ — again ; āropitaḥ — raised to the top ; nipatati — falls down .

Translation

A person who in this life bears false witness or lies while transacting business or giving charity is severely punished after death by the agents of Yamarāja. Such a sinful man is taken to the top of a mountain eight hundred miles high and thrown headfirst into the hell known as Avīcimat. This hell has no shelter and is made of strong stone resembling the waves of water. There is no water there, however, and thus it is called Avīcimat [waterless]. Although the sinful man is repeatedly thrown from the mountain and his body broken to tiny pieces, he still does not die but continuously suffers chastisement.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

A person who, in this life, lies as a witness during business transactions or in giving charity is thrown head first, alone, from the top of a mountain eight hundred miles high in the hell known as Avīcimat (waveless) where the stony land resembles water. Although the sinful man is repeatedly thrown from the mountain and his body broken into tiny pieces, he still does not die. Niravakāśe means “alone.” The meaning of avīci is explained: where there are no waves, only stones resembling waves.