Post No. 14,472
Date uploaded in London – 4 May 2025
Contact – swami_48@yahoo.com
Pictures are taken from various sources for spreading knowledge.
this is a non- commercial blog. Thanks for your great pictures.
tamilandvedas.com, swamiindology.blogspot.com
xxxx
If flesh you eat not, life’s abodes unharmed remain;
Who eats, hell swallows him, and renders not again– Kural 255
The spirit of not eating flesh keeps secure the precious like of a being. And the merciless flesh eater who stifles the life breath of an animal is for ever hurled into the very jaws of hell- Tirukkural 255
உண்ணாமை உள்ளது உயிர்நிலை ஊனுண்ண
அண்ணாத்தல் செய்யாது அளறு—255
Tirumular, a later poet also supports Valluvar
கொன்றிலாரை கொலச் சொல்லிகூறினார்
தின்றிலாரை தினச் சொலி தெண்டித்தார்
பன்றியாய் படியில்பிறந்து ஏழ் நரகு
ஒன்றுவார் அரன் ஆணை! இது உண்மையே!
Those who ask others to kill animals (for meat)
Those who force others to eat meat
Will be born as pigs and suffer in seven types of hell
This is the order by Lord Siva! True indeed!
***
கொல்லிடு குத்தென்று கூறிய மாக்களை,
வல்லடிக் காரர் வலிக்கயிற் றாற்கட்டிச்,
செல்லிடு நில்லென்று தீவாய் நரகிடை,
நில்லிடும் என்று நிறுத்துவர் தாமே —திருமந்திரம் > முதல் தந்திரம் > 6 கொல்லாமை > பாடல்: 198
English translation of verse 198:
The men who shouted,”Kill and stab,”
Them with strong ropes Death’s ruffians bind;
And stationing them at the fire-gates of Hell,
The agents yell, “Stand, go; and in the fire pit roast.”
*****
Manu also says the same
वर्षे वर्षेऽश्वमेधेन यो यजेत शतं समाः ।
मांसानि च न खादेद् यस्तयोः पुण्यफलं समम् ॥ 5-५३ ॥
varṣe varṣe’śvamedhena yo yajeta śataṃ samāḥ |
māṃsāni ca na khāded yastayoḥ puṇyaphalaṃ samam ||5- 53 Manu ||
If a man performs the Aśvamedha Sacrifice every year, for a hundred tears,—and another does not eat meat,—the merit and reward of both these are the same.—(5-53.)
****
Who goes to Hell according to Arnagirinatha
ஓது வித்தவர் கூலிகொ டாதவர்
மாத வர்க்கதி பாதக மானவர்
ஊச லிற்கன லாயெரி காளையர் …… மறையோர்கள்
ஊர்த னக்கிட ரேசெயு மேழைகள்
ஆர்த னக்குமு தாசின தாரிகள்
ஓடி யுத்தம ரூதிய நாடின …… ரிரவோருக்
கேது மித்தனை தானமி டாதவர்
பூத லத்தினி லோரம தானவர்
ஈசர் விஷ்ணுவை சேவைசெய் வோர்தமை …… யிகழ்வோர்கள்
ஏக சித்ததி யானமி லாதவர்
மோக முற்றிடு போகித மூறினர்
ஈன ரித்தனை பேர்களு மேழ்நர …… குழல்வாரே
Meaning ………
Those who have not paid the fees to their teachers,
those who do great harm to the venerable sages,
those youngsters who burn themselves away with lust,
those fools who are out to ravage the towns of practitioners of scriptures,
A those who are impertinent to everyone,
those who rush to virtuous people to exploit them and gain unfairly,
those who do not give even a morsel of charity to seekers,
those in this world who speak one-sidedly (with prejudice),
those who speak derisively of the worshippers of Lords SivA and VishNu,
those who do not meditate single-mindedly,
those who indulge in excessive passion and carnal pleasure,
and all such dishonorable people will suffer, being tossed about in seven kinds of hell.
*****
Hell and Heaven figure prominently in Hindu mythology. We read about them in the oldest book in the world, the Rig Veda! There is not a single religious scripture without a reference to the hell. References to Hell are found in the Sangam Tamil literature and post Sangam Tamil book Tirukkural, the Tamil Veda.
Though later Hindu scriptures refer to various hells, only one hell is mentioned in the Rig Veda. It is a dark place; but no mention of torture or suffering is there. We read, “knowing he beholds all creatures; he hurls the hated and the irreligious into abyss” (RV 9-73)
In Manu Smrti, the Hindu Law Book, 21 hells are enumerated. Some of the name of the hells are: Darkness, Frightful, Burning, Place of Spikes, Frying Pan, Thorny Tree, Sword Leaved Forest and Place of Iron Fetters.
A liar would go to Raurava (dreadful) hell. He who kills a cow would go to the Rodha hell (hell of obstruction).
A horse stealer falls into the red hot iron hell. The wicked person who eats food before offering it to gods or ancestors or guests falls into where, instead of food, saliva is given to him. ( My comments: If people followed this rule and shared their food there woudn’t be any poverty, any beggar or communism in the world!).
Manu Smrti refers to hell in at least twenty places.
***
TREE CUTTING – A SIN!
He who cuts down trees goes to the Hell of Sword Leaved Trees. So much environmental awareness was there during Manu’s days! Manu has listed the hells to fit each crime perfectly. He is a great law maker.
Siva Purana gives a list of 28 types of hell. Each one has five levels!
Scriptures like Bhagavad Gita have lot of references and one of them is as follows:
The gateway of this HELL leading to the ruin of the soul is three fold, lust, anger and greed Therefore these three, one should abandon. The man who is released from these, the three gates to darkness, Arjuna, does what is good for his soul and then reaches the highest gate.
Bhagavad Gita (16-21) says,
The Triple Gate of Hell
trividham narakasyaedam
dvaram nasanam atmanah
kamah krodhas tatha lobhas
tasmad etat trayam tyajet
The gateway of this hell leading to the ruin of the soul is threefold, lust, anger and greed. Therefore, these three, one should abandon (BG 16-21)
****
HEAVEN & HELL
Heaven is not a distant world; it is here, in this world, for us to make good by work for universal welfare. Hell is not a distant world; it is here, in this world, if we do not make good by work for universal welfare.- Bhasa in his drama , Second Century BCE
****
HELL in Tamil Literature
Tamils have pure Tamil words for the hell, not Tamilized Sanskrit words. This shows that the belief was very old and independent of any Puranic influence. Alaru and Nirayam are found in Tirukkural (Tamil Veda) and Pura Nanuru (Sangam Tamil Book).
NIRAYAM (hell) – Aka Nanuru-67, Pura Nanuru -5
There are more references to Heaven in Tamil. They looked more at the positive side of the life.
From the Tamil Veda Tirukkural:
ALARU (hell):- Kural 255, 835 and 919
“Abstinence from meat-eating contributes to this maintenance of life. Therefore if a man has once committed the sin of eating meat the HELL which swallowed him will not open its mouth again to release him _ Kural 255
The delicate shoulders of harlots with fine jewels are a HELL into which are plunged the ignorant vile- 919
Jeevaka Chintamani, one of the Five Tamil Epics, also has reference to hell in several places (E.g.1235).
In post Sangam literature we have a lot of references to hell.
Tamil and Sanskrit inscriptions curse those who defile or harm the inscriptions or the things mentioned in it to go to hell.
It is very interesting to see the belief of sinners going to hell is found from the Rig Veda to latest poems in Tamil.
(Mr Rajendra Gupta has commented that NIRAYA for hell is a Sanskrit word. Thanks)
–Subham–
Tags- non vegetarians, hell, Tirukkural, Tirumular, Rig Veda, Manu Smriti, Arunagirinathar
Tamil and Vedas 
