Hindu Hell

Yama has many soldiers, servants and attendants who carry our his work; and hell is full of animal-like creatures, like the ever-present sharp-beaked birds, who act as guards there. But one of the unusual features of Hindu hell is that as often as not there are no punishing agents specifically mentioned. Those who suffer often act out their own punishments, forced to endure a destiny or undertake some course of action, rather than being the object of torture. As the Ramayana explains, they eat the fruit of their own acts.

The various names of the hells indicate circumstances and conditions: for instance, Ghatiyantra is a hell associated by its name with a water wheel and also with an intestinal disease, characterized by diarrhea and ulceration of the mucous membrane of the digestive tract. Gudapaka is a hell associated by its name with infections of the anal passage. Other hell names indicate what souls will find. In Kutasalmali, they find the kutasalmali tree — with its thick conical spines — which the denizens climb up and down, ripping their bodies apart, as if driven by some cosmic obligation.

Harrowing of Hell

The harrowing of hell is a motif that is found in Christian literature of the otherworld, most notably Christ’s harrowing of hell from the New Testament, particularly 1 Peter, and Mary’s harrowing of hell from the Apocalypse of Mary.

Three of the major Hindu Hell texts narrate a similar story: the descent into hell of a king, who has either been sent there mistakenly or to quickly purge a minor offense. His very presence ameliorates the torture suffered by the inhabitants. When he is encouraged to leave and assume his place with Indra or Vishnu, he refuses, insisting that he would rather dedicate himself to the relief of these souls than escape to his own reward, and claiming that the opportunity to offer relief is, in fact, a far greater reward. Eventually his commitment to these souls effects their release