Text 33]
The Hellish Planets
471
them great pain. After death such people are brought by the assistants of Yamarāja to the hell known as Śūlaprota, where their bodies are pierced with sharp, needlelike lances. They suffer from hunger and thirst, and sharp-beaked birds such as vultures and herons come at them from all sides to tear at their bodies. Tortured and suffering, they can then remember the sinful activities they committed in the past.
TEXT 33
ये त्विह वै भूतान्युद्धेजयन्ति नरा उल्बणस्वभावा यथा दन्दश्कास्तेऽपि प्रेत्य नरके दन्दश्काख्ये निपतन्ति यत्र नृप दन्दश्काः पञ्चमुखाः सप्तमुखा उपसृत्य ग्रसन्ति यथा त्रिलेशयान् ॥ ३३ ॥
ye tv iha vai bhūtāny udvejayanti narā ulbaṇa-svabhāvā yathā dandaśūkās te 'pi pretya narake dandaśūkākhye nipatanti yatra nṛpa dandaśūkāḥ pañca-mukhāḥ sapta-mukhā upasṛtya grasanti yathā bileśayān.
ye—persons who; tu—but; iha—in this life; vai—indeed; bhūtāni—  to living entities;  udvejayanti— cause unnecessary pain;  narāḥ— men;  ulbaṇa-svabhāvāḥ— angry by nature;  yathā— just like;  dandaśūkāḥ—  snakes;  te— they;  api— also;  pretya— after dying;  narake— in the hell;  dandaśūka-ākhye— named Dandaśūka;  nipatanti— fall down;  yatra—  where;  nṛpa— O King;  dandaśūkāḥ— serpents;  pañca-mukhāḥ— hav- ing five hoods;  sapta-mukhāḥ— having seven hoods;  upasṛtya— reach- ing up;  grasanti— eat;  yathā— just like;  bileśayān— mice.
TRANSLATION
Those who in this life are like envious serpents, always angry and giving pain to other living entities, fall after death into the hell known as Dandaśūka. My dear King, in this hell there are serpents with five or seven hoods. These serpents eat such sinful persons just as snakes eat mice.