Twenty-One Times the Earth Ran Red

Dadi: "Guddu, do you know what happens to people who do very bad things after they die?"

Guddu: "They go to hell?"

Dadi: "According to our scriptures, there are twenty-eight different hells, each for different kinds of sins!"

Guddu: "Twenty-eight? That's a lot!"

Dadi: "Let me tell you some of them - they're described in the Bhagavata Purana. After death, Yama's messengers bring everyone to his court where he weighs their good and bad deeds."

Guddu: "Like a report card?"

Dadi: "Exactly! Those with mostly good deeds go to heaven. Those with bad deeds go to one of these hells."

Guddu: "What are some of them?"

Dadi: "Well, there's Tamisra - complete darkness - for those who steal. Raurava for those who are violent and envious - animals they hurt in life come back to torment them!"

Guddu: "Scary!"

Dadi: "There's Kumbhipaka for those who cook animals alive - they themselves get boiled in hot oil! And Krimibhojana for selfish people who eat alone without sharing - they fall into a lake full of worms and become food for worms!"

Guddu: "Eww! That's disgusting!"

Dadi: "There's one called Pranarodha for those who hunt animals for fun - they get pierced with arrows just like they pierced animals. And Ayahpana for those who drink alcohol - molten iron is poured into their mouths!"

Guddu: "These sound really terrible, Dadi."

Dadi: "They're meant to be warnings, beta. The purpose isn't to scare you, but to make you think before doing wrong."

Guddu: "Are they real places?"

Dadi: "Whether they're literal places or symbolic descriptions, the teaching is the same: every action has a consequence. If you steal, you lose your light. If you're cruel, cruelty returns to you. If you're selfish, you become isolated."

Guddu: "So karma catches up with everyone?"

Dadi: "Yes! But here's the hopeful part - after completing their time in these places, souls take birth again. They get another chance!"

Guddu: "So it's not forever?"

Dadi: "Nothing is forever except the soul itself. These hells purify the soul so it can return and try again. It's like detention at school - unpleasant, but meant to teach and correct."

Guddu: "I don't want to go to any of these places!"

Dadi: "Then remember the teachings: don't steal, don't hurt others, share your food, be kind to animals, tell the truth. Simple things, really."

Guddu: "But what if I make mistakes?"

Dadi: "Everyone makes mistakes, beta. That's why we have prayer, repentance, and good deeds. If you realize you've done wrong and genuinely change, that changes the karma too."

Guddu: "So there's always hope?"

Dadi: "Always. These stories aren't meant to make you hopeless - they're meant to make you careful. Like traffic rules - you follow them not because you're scared of the police, but because you understand the consequences of breaking them."

Guddu: "I'll be careful, Dadi."

Dadi: "That's my good boy. The best way to avoid hell is simply to fill your life with heaven - with kindness, with truth, with love. Then there's no room left for sin."