Text 15] The Hellish Planets 449

yah—anyone who; tu—but; iha—in this life; vai—indeed; nija-
veda-pathat—from his own path, recommended by the Vedas;
andpadi—even without an emergency; apagatah—deviated; pakhan-
dam—a concocted, atheistic system; ca—and; upagatah—gone to;
tam—him; asi-patravanam—the hell known as Asi-patravana; pra-
vesya—making enter; kasayad—with a whip; praharanti—they beat;
tatra—there; ha—certainly; asau—that; itah tatah—here and there;
dhavamaénah—running; ubhayatah—on both sides; dhdraih—by the
edges; tdla-vana-asi-patraih—by the swordlike leaves of palm trees;
chidyamdna—being cut; sarva-arigah—whose entire body; hd—alas;
hatah—killed; asmi—I am; iti—thus; paramayd—with severe;
vedanaya—pain; miércchitah—fainted; pade pade—at every step:
nipatati—falls down; sva-dharma-ha—the killer of his own principles
sf religion; pakhanda-anugatam phalam—the result of accepting an
atheistic path; hhurikte—he suffers.

TRANSLATION

If a person deviates from the path of the Vedas in the absence of
an emergency, the servants of Yamaraja put him into the hell
called Asi-patravana, where they beat him with whips. When he
runs hither and thither, fleeing from the extreme pain, on all sides
he runs into palm trees with leaves like sharpened swords. Thus
injured all over his body and fainting at every step, he cries out,
“Oh, what shall I do now! How shall I be saved!” This is how one
suffers who deviates from the accepted religious principles.

PURPORT

There is actually only one religious principle: dharmam tu saksad
bhagavat-pranitam. The only religious principle is to follow the orders
of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Unfortunately. especially in this
age of Kali, everyone is an atheist. People do not even believe in God.
what to speak of following His words. The words niya-veda-patha can
also mean “one’s own set of religious principles. Formerly there was
only one veda-patha, or set of religious principles. Now there are many.
It doesn’t matter which set of religious principles one follows: the only
injunction is that he must follow them strictly. An atheist. or ndstika, is
