450
Śrimad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 5, Ch. 26]
one who does not believe in the  Vedas . However, even if one takes up a different system of religion, according to this verse he must follow the religious principles he has accepted. Whether one is a Hindu, or a Mohammedan or a Christian, he should follow his own religious principles. However, if one concocts his own religious path within his mind, or if one follows no religious principles at all, he is punished in the hell known as Asi-patravana. In other words, a human being must follow some religious principles. If he does not follow any religious principles, he is no better than an animal. As Kali-yuga advances, people are becoming godless and taking up so-called secularism. They do not know the punishment awaiting them in Asi-patravana, as described in this verse.
TEXT 16
यस्त्वह वै राजा राजपुरुषो वा अदण्ड्ये दण्डं प्रणयति ब्राह्मणे वा शरीरदण्डं स पापीयान्नरकेऽमुत्र स्करमुखे निपतति तत्रातिबलैर्वि निष्पिष्यमाणावयवो यथैवेहेशुखण्ड आर्तस्वरेण स्वनयन् क्वचिन्मूर्च्छितः कश्मलमुपगतो यथैवेहादृष्टदोषा उपरुद्धाः ॥१६॥
yas tu iha vai rājā rāja-puruṣo vā adaṇḍye daṇḍam praṇayati brāhmaṇe vā śarīra-daṇḍam sa pāpīyān narake 'mutra sūkaramukhe nipatati tatrātibalair viniṣpiṣyamāṇāvayavo yathaivehekṣukhaṇḍa ārta- svareṇa svanayan kvacin mūrcchitaḥ kaśmalam upagato yathaivehā- drṣṭa-doṣā uparuddhāḥ.
yaḥ—anyone who; tu—but; iha—in this life; vai—indeed; rājā—a king; rāja-puruṣaḥ—a king's man; vā—or; adaṇḍye—unto one not punishable; daṇḍam—punishment; praṇayati—inflicts; brāhmaṇe— unto a brāhmaṇa; vā—or; śarīra-daṇḍam—corporal punishment; saḥ—that person, king or government officer; pāpīyān—the most sin- ful; narake—in the hell; amutra—in the next life; sūkaramukhe— named Sūkharamukha; nipatati—falls down; tatra—there; ati-balaiḥ— by very strong assistants of Yamarāja; viniṣpiṣyamāṇa—being crushed; avayavaḥ—the different parts of whose body; yathā—like; eva—cer- tainly; iha—here; ikṣu-khaṇḍaḥ—sugarcane; ārta-svareṇa—with a pitiable sound; svanayan—crying; kvacit—sometimes; mūrcchitaḥ—