Text 29
atraiva narakaḥ svarga
iti mātaḥ pracakṣate
yā yātanā vai nārakyas
tā ihāpy upalakṣitāḥ
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.
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.
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.