हिन्दी
Those who know this (about the five fires), and those who live in the forest practising austerities with faith—they go after death to the world of light. From the world of light, they go to the world of day; from the world of day to the world of the bright fortnight.
From the world of the bright fortnight to the six months when the sun moves northward; from there they go to the year; from the year to the sun; from the sun to the moon; and from the moon to lightning. There someone, not human, receives them and leads them to Brahma Loka. This is the path of the gods.
On the other hand, those who live in the village and perform acts of public service, charity, and so on, attain the world of smoke. From there they go to the world of the night; from night they go to the world of the dark fortnight; and from the dark fortnight they go to the world of the six months when the sun moves to the south. This means that they never attain the world of the year.
From the six months of the southern solstice, they go to the world of the ancestors, and from there they go to the sky. Then from the sky they go to the moon. This is King Soma. This is the food of the gods. The gods enjoy eating this food.
Living in the world of the moon until the fruits of his work are exhausted, he then goes back to this world along the path he came. First going to the sky, he then goes to air. Having become air, he next becomes smoke. Having become smoke, he then becomes mist.
Having become mist, it changes into clouds. Then from clouds, it becomes rain and falls to the earth. Finally, it grows as paddy, barley, plants, trees, sesame, beans, and so forth. The change from this state is very difficult. Those who eat these things produce children just like themselves.
Among them, those who did good work in this world (in their past life) attain a good birth accordingly. They are born as a brāhmin, a kṣatriya, or a vaiśya. But those who did bad work in this world (in their past life) attain a bad birth, accordingly, being born as a dog, a pig, or as a Chandaal (one who eat dogs) person.
But those who do not follow either of these two paths are born among small animals and insects again and again. (This can be said about those who are born in) this third state: ‘Be born and die.’ This is why the other world does not get filled up. Therefore, one should despise this state. Here is a verse on the subject—
A person who steals gold, or drinks liquor, or goes to bed with his teacher’s wife, or kills a Brahmin—these four are lost. Also lost is the fifth—one who keeps company with such people.
But he who knows the five fires remains pure even if he is in the company of these people. He who knows this is pure and innocent, and after death he goes to a holy world.
