History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v5.c71.s1.642

v5.c71.s1.642

Brahma-vaivarta (prakṛtikhaṇḍa chap. 29 which names 86 *narakakuṇḍas*³⁹⁴ and chap. 33), Nāradapurāna, pūrvārdha 15.1-20 (for narakas and torments), Padmapurāṇa (Uttara, chap. 227 for 140 narakas and Pātālakhaṇḍa chap. 48 for several narakas), Bhaviṣyapurāṇa (Brahmaparva, chap. 192.11-27 for torments of Hell and Uttaraparva Chap. 5-6 for sins and narakas). The Bhāgavatapurāṇa V. 26.6 states that there are 28 narakas, though according to some there are 21. Vide also Viṣṇupurāṇa V. 6.2-5, Skandapurāṇa I, chap. 39 and VI. 226-227. In the Mārkaṇḍeyapurāṇa (chap 12) we have a description of several narakas like the Raurava, Mahāraurava, Asipatravana &c. and chap 14 (verses 39-94) mentions the punishments meted out to perpetrators of various sins. In the Mahābhārata also narakas and the torments thereof are frequently referred to For example, Śāntiparva 321 32 speaks of Vaitaraṇī and Asipatravana, Anuśāsana (23 60-82) speaks of the actions that lead to hell (each verse having the refrain *te vai niraya-gāminaḥ*) Anuśāsana 145.10-13. Svargārohaṇika-parva (2 16-26) describes the several horrible sights and torments of such hells as 'Asipatravana' (named in verse 23) and Kūṭaśālmalī (named in Svargārohaṇika 3 4). The Vṛddha-Hārīta-smṛti (IX. 167-171) mentions almost the same 21 narakas as the Manusmṛti does. The craze for multiplying narakas went so far that the Brahmapurāṇa, the Viṣṇudharmottara³⁹⁵, the Garuḍa-purāṇa and others declared that there were thousands, lakhs and crores of narakas.