1. Previously, I told you about the Bodily Tortures, and the Worldly Tortures. Now, I shall tell you about the tortures arising from one’s own behavior, or the "Cosmic Tortures." Please listen with alertness.
2. People experience heaven or hell at the time of the destruction of the body according to the good and bad actions done in their life. This is called the cosmic torture.
3. Due to arrogance and indiscrimination, many wrong deeds and faults are done that give grief and cause one to suffer great misery.
4. With physical strength, the power of money, with manpower, and with support from rulers, many wrongful deeds are committed with these various powers that give strength.
5. Giving up the principles of morality, one does what one should not do, and suffers great misery at the time of death.
6. Closing his eyes in selfishness, he uses his injurious intellect to engage in trying to satisfy many greedy desires by acquiring the land, money, women or possessions of others.
7. Intoxicated with arrogance he kills living beings and their families, and commits all kinds of offensive activities, and accordingly suffers great misery at the time of death.
8. When people behave without exercising any restraint, and abandon propriety and justice, the village is punished by the head of the village and a region is punished by the ruler of the region.
9. The ruler of the region is in turn punished by the king. If the king is not upholding propriety and justice, he is punished by God, and suffers miserably accordingly.
10. If the king behaves immorally and acts only out of selfishness, and engages in many offenses against the people, yet remains king, at the time of the end of his kingdom he suffers a hellish existence.
11. If the king commits politically wrong actions and gives up the control over the senses, affections and passions, the fear of death hounds him, and he is punished by the Death God (Yama). If Death abandons his duty, God punishes him.
12. In this way, the gods have put into place some principles by which beings should behave. Giving up morality, one suffers misery at the time of death.
13. The gods send Death, therefore this type of torture is named as "Cosmic Torture." This third type of tortures that are the cosmic tortures, are unbearable.
14. The punishment of Death is the great suffering and misery that happens at the time of death. The ancient sciences (Shastras) have told of the many types of suffering of destiny that cannot be escaped. This is called the cosmic torture.
15. The suffering of the tortures of destiny are told in detail in the Shastras. One's misdeeds remain in the subtle body in many ways.
16. The good and bad deeds are there in the subtle body. According to the many kinds of good or bad deeds, one experiences their subtle body as being heaven, or as suffering in hell.
17. If the impressions of many good deeds are there, then one experiences the joys of heaven, and if there are many wrongful deeds, one experiences harsh suffering. The Shastras have spoken of this, and they should not be disbelieved.
18. If one does not behave according to the edicts of the Vedas, and has no devotion to God, they will suffer great misery at the time of death. This is a cosmic torture.
19. There are lots of subtle bodies of beings causing commotion in the various types of hell. In one type of hell, the irritation is like that of having one's hands and feet bound, with worms biting at them. This is a cosmic torture.
20. Another type of hell is like being in a big pot with a small opening, and the beings there are boiling alive in a foul smelling liquid inside. This is a cosmic torture.
21. In another type of hell the beings feel that they are placed on the hot floor which burns them while a burning log is rolled over them and many forks pierce their bodies. This is a cosmic torture.
22. The beatings of the misery of death are many, and there are limitless types of torture and suffering that those who commit many wrongful deeds must endure. This is cosmic torture.
23. In the world the tortures are many, but there are many more miseries that are suffered after death. There, the relief that comes from dying does not exist and the beatings do not stop. This is cosmic torture.
24. From all four sides, the servants of death pull the being, they swing and throw him and drag him away, beating him all the while. This is cosmic torture.
25. He feels that he can’t get up, he can’t sit, he can’t cry, he can’t lie down. Tortures one after the other are unending. This is cosmic torture.
26. The being cries and sobs in a loud voice, and with the exertion after struggling, he becomes weaker and weaker, until he is emaciated, remaining like a living skeleton. This is cosmic torture.
27. Harsh statements, harsh beatings, and a great variety of tortures and troubles must be endured by those who have lived a life of wrongful deeds. This is cosmic torture.
28. Previously, I spoke about the punishment given by kings, but the miseries experienced after death are far more severe. There, the tortures are very immense and miserable.
29. Now I have spoken about Bodily Tortures, Worldly Tortures, and even worse than those, the extraordinary Cosmic Tortures. Only a few examples were given to you for your understanding.