Naraka

Naraka(Sanskrit:नरक) is the realm ofhellinIndian religions.According to schools ofHinduism,JainismandBuddhism,Narakais a place of torment. The wordNeraka(modification ofNaraka) inIndonesianandMalaysianhas also been used to describe theIslamic concept of Hell.^[1]

Alternatively, the "hellish beings" that are said to reside in this underworld are often referred to asNarakas.These beings are also termed inSanskritasNarakiyas(Sanskrit:नारकीय,Nārakīya),Narakarnavas(Sanskrit:नरकार्णव,Narakārṇava) andNarakavasis(Sanskrit:नरकवासी,Narakavāsī).

Hinduism

A large central panel portrays Yama the god of death (often referred to as Dharma) seated on a throne; to the left stands a demon. To the right of Yama sits Chitragupta, assigned with keeping detailed records of every human being and upon their death deciding how they are to be reincarnated, depending on their previous actions.

Naraka is a realm in theVedas,a place where souls are sent for the expiation of their sins. It is mentioned primarily in theDharmashastras,Itihasas,and thePuranas,but also described in theVedic samhitas,^[2]^[3]theAranyakas^[4]and theUpanishads.^[5]^[6]^[7]^[8]Some Upanishads speak of 'darkness' instead of hell.^[9]A summary of the Upanishads and theBhagavad Gitamentions hell several times.^[10]Adi Sankaraalso mentions it in his commentary on theVedanta sutra.^[11]With the exception of the views of one Hindu philosopher,Madhva,it is not seen as a place of eternaldamnationwithinHinduism.^[12]

In Puranas likeBhagavata Purana,Garuda Purana,andVishnu Purana,there are elaborate descriptions of many hells. They are situated above theGarbhodaka Ocean.^[13]The Vishnu Purana mentions the names of the various Narakas:^[14]

The names of the different Narakas are as follows: Raurava, Śūkara, Rodha, Tāla, Viśasana, Mahājvāla, Taptakumbha, Lavaṇa, Vimohana, Rudhirāndha, Vaitaranī, Krimīśa, Krimibhojana, Asipatravana, Kṛṣṇa, Lālābhakṣa, Dāruṇa, Pūyavāha, Pāpa, Vahnijvāla, Adhośiras, Sandansa, Kālasūtra, Tamas, Avīci, Śvabhojana, Apratiṣṭha, and another Avīci. These and many other fearful hells are the awful provinces of the kingdom of Yama, terrible with instruments of torture and with fire; into which are hurled all those who are addicted when alive to sinful practices.
— Vishnu Purana,Book 2, Chapter 6

Yama,the god of death and justice, judges living beings after theirdeathand assigns appropriate punishments. For instance, the murderer of aBrahman,the stealer of gold, or a drinker of wine goes to the hell termed asShukara,meaning swine.^[15]According to someVedantaschools of thought,Nitya-samsarins(forever transmigrating ones) can experience Naraka forexpiation.^[16]After the period of punishment is complete, they are reborn on earth^[17]in human or bestial bodies.^[18]Therefore, Naraka is not an abode of everlasting punishment.

Yama Lokais the abode of Yama. Yama is also referred to as theDharmaraja,or the king of dharma; Yama Loka may be compared to a temporarypurgatoriumfor sinners (papi). According to Hindu scriptures, Yama's divine assistant,Chitragupta,maintains a record of the individual deeds of every living being in the world, and based on the complete audit of his deeds, dispatches the soul of the deceased either toSvarga(Heaven), or to the various Narakas, according to the nature of their sins. The scriptures describe that even people who have done a majority of good deeds could come to Yama Loka for redemption from the minor sins they have committed, and once the punishments have been served for those sins, they could be sent for rebirth to earth or to heaven.

At the time of death,sinfulsouls are vulnerable for capture by Yamaduttas, servants of Yama (who comes personally only in special cases). According to theBhagavata Purana,Yama orders his servants to leaveVaishnavasalone.^[19]^[20]Sri Vaishnavasare taken by Vishnuduttas toVaikuntha,andGaudiya VaishnavastoGoloka.^{[citation needed]}

Buddhism

A mural from a temple in northern Thailand. The unclothed spirits of the dead are brought beforeYamafor judgement. In the background, Mālaya (พระมาลัย) watches from above as sinners are fried in a large oil cauldron.

In Buddhism, Naraka refers to the worlds of greatest suffering.Buddhist textsdescribe a vast array of tortures and realms of torment in Naraka; an example is theDevadūta-suttafrom thePāli Canon.The descriptions vary from text to text and are not always consistent with each other. Though the term is often translated as "hell", unlike the Abrahamic hells, Naraka is not eternal, though when a timescale is given, it is suggested to be extraordinarily long. There is not inherently anyGodrequired to be involved in determining a being's entry and exit to and from the realm. Rather, the mind ends up here—as is the case with all the other realms in theBuddhist cosmology—by natural law: the law ofkarma,and they remain until the negative karma that brought them there has been used up.

Jainism

In Jainism, Naraka is the name given to realm of existence inJain cosmologyhaving great suffering. The length of a being's stay in a Naraka is not eternal, though it is usually very long—measured in billions of years. A soul is born into a Naraka as a direct result of his or her previouskarma(actions of body, speech and mind), and resides there for a finite length of time until his karma has achieved its full result. After his karma is used up, he may be reborn in one of the higher worlds as the result of an earlier karma that had not yet ripened. Jain texts mention that these hells are situated in the seven grounds at the lower part of the universe. The seven grounds are:

Ratna prabha
Sharkara prabha
Valuka prabha
Panka prabha
Dhuma prabha
Tamaha prabha
Mahatamaha prabha

References

^Phyllis Ghim-Lian ChewA Sociolinguistic History of Early Identities in Singapore: From Colonialism to NationalismPalgrave Macmillan, 29 Nov 2012ISBN 9781137012333p. 195
^Śukla Yajur Veda 30.5
^Atharva Veda 12.4.36
^Aitareya Āraṇyaka2.3.2.4,5
^Mahanārāyaṇa Upaniṣad1.50
^Praśna Upaniṣad3
^Nirālamba Upaniṣad2, 17
^Paramahaṃsa Upaniṣad3
^asuryā nāma te lokā andhena tamasāvṛtāḥ–Īśa Upaniṣad3
^1.41, 1.43, 16.16, 16.21
^Vedānta sūtra 4.3.14
^Helmuth von Glasenapp:Der Hinduismus. Religion und Gesellschaft im heutigen Indien, Hildesheim 1978, p. 248.
^Bhāgavata Purāṇa5.26.5
^www.wisdomlib.org (2014-08-30)."Account of the different hells, or divisions of Naraka [Chapter VI]".www.wisdomlib.org.Retrieved2022-08-08.
^www.wisdomlib.org (2014-08-30)."Account of the different hells, or divisions of Naraka [Chapter VI]".www.wisdomlib.org.Retrieved2022-08-08.
^Bhakti Schools of Vedanta,by Swami Tapasyananda
^Bhāgavata Purāṇa5.26.37
^Garuḍa Purāṇa2.10.88–89, 2.46.9–10,28
^Bhāgavata Purāṇa6.3
^Nṛsiṃha Purāṇa9.1–2

External links

Definition at godrealized.com
Wat Thawet Buddhist Learning GardenFeature Article

[1] Phyllis Ghim-Lian ChewA Sociolinguistic History of Early Identities in Singapore: From Colonialism to NationalismPalgrave Macmillan, 29 Nov 2012ISBN 9781137012333p. 195

[2] Śukla Yajur Veda 30.5

[3] Atharva Veda 12.4.36

[4] Aitareya Āraṇyaka2.3.2.4,5

[5] Mahanārāyaṇa Upaniṣad1.50

[6] Praśna Upaniṣad3

[7] Nirālamba Upaniṣad2, 17

[8] Paramahaṃsa Upaniṣad3

[9] asuryā nāma te lokā andhena tamasāvṛtāḥ–Īśa Upaniṣad3

[10] 1.41, 1.43, 16.16, 16.21

[11] Vedānta sūtra 4.3.14

[glasenapp-12] Helmuth von Glasenapp:Der Hinduismus. Religion und Gesellschaft im heutigen Indien, Hildesheim 1978, p. 248.

[13] Bhāgavata Purāṇa5.26.5

[14] www.wisdomlib.org (2014-08-30)."Account of the different hells, or divisions of Naraka [Chapter VI]".www.wisdomlib.org.Retrieved2022-08-08.

[15] www.wisdomlib.org (2014-08-30)."Account of the different hells, or divisions of Naraka [Chapter VI]".www.wisdomlib.org.Retrieved2022-08-08.

[16] Bhakti Schools of Vedanta,by Swami Tapasyananda

[17] Bhāgavata Purāṇa5.26.37

[18] Garuḍa Purāṇa2.10.88–89, 2.46.9–10,28

[19] Bhāgavata Purāṇa6.3

[20] Nṛsiṃha Purāṇa9.1–2

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