Janaka Maharaja’s Visit to Hell

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Janaka Maharaja's Visit to Hell

 

Janaka Maharaja is the father of Sita and a great

devotee of Lord Ramachandra. It is described in

Srimad Bhägavatam (6.3.20) that he is one of the

twelve great authorities on religious principles in

this universe. The following story from Padma

Purana of how Janaka

Maharaja once visited hell illustrates the supreme

potency of the holy name and the association with

saintly persons.

Lord Ananta Sesa once narrated a wonderful

account of how King Janaka visited the abode of

Yamaraja. After a long life, Janaka Maharaja gave

up his body through the process of yoga. A divine

airplane decorated with many bells descended and

Janaka Maharaja boarded it. On the way the airplane

came near to the abode of Yamaraja, the

lord of death. There, sinners were suffering punishment

in millions of hells. When the wind that

had touched the body of Janaka came to them

they felt great joy and their misery disappeared.

Then those persons, oppressed by sins, wanting

to keep Janaka's association, began to lament.

They spoke piteously to Janaka Maharaja, " O

blessed one. Please do not leave. We who are

greatly tormented are feeling happy due to contact

with the breezes that have touched your body.

Hearing their words, the very righteous king

became filled with pity and thought to himself,

" If due to the touch of the breezes that have

touched my body I am bringing some happiness

to the residents here, then I will stay in this

place. This is heaven for me. "

Thinking like this, the king stayed there by the

gateway to hell. After some time, Yamaraja himself,

who inflicts severe torment upon sinners,

came to that gateway. There he saw Maharaja

Janaka, full of mercy and a doer of great meritorious

deeds, standing by the doorway.

Yamaraja smiled and said to Janaka, " O king!

You are sarva-dharma-çiromaëi — the crest jewel of

piety. Why have you come here? This is a place for

wicked sinners who cause harm to others. Men

like you who perform meritorious deeds do not

come to this place. Only those persons who deceive

others, who are engaged in criticizing others,

and who are intent on stealing others' wealth come

here. A man who abandons a religious wife who is

serving him without fault comes here. One who,

out of greed for wealth, deceives his friend, comes

here and receives intense punishment from me.

Yamaraja then said, " Those persons who do

not remember Lord Ramachandra with their

mind, words, or deeds I throw into hell and have

boiled.Those who have remembered the Lord

of the Goddess of fortune leave the sufferings

of hell and quickly go to Vaikuntha.

" O very intelligent king, my servants, unable

to even look at persons like you, bring those

who are great sinners. Therefore you should

leave this place and go enjoy many pleasures.

Enter the excellent airplane and go reap the

fruits of the religious merits you have earned. "

Hearing the words of Yamaraja, with great

compassion Janaka replied, " O Lord, out of

pity on these beings I shall not go to

Vaikuntha. Although situated in this place,

they are feeling some comfort due to the

breezes blowing past my body. If you release

all of these persons living in hell then I shall

be happy and will proceed to Vaikuntha. "

Hearing the words of Janaka, Yamaraja

pointed out to him each of those living in hell

and said:

" This one had sex with his friend's wife that

had confided in him, therefore I am having him

roasted on an iron stake for thousands of years.

Afterwards he will be born as a pig. Then when

he again takes birth in a human body he will be a

eunuch. This one repeatedly raped the wife of

another man. Therefore he will be roasted in the

hell known as raurava for a hundred years. This

wicked one stole the wealth of others and enjoyed

it. Therefore, having cut off his hands, I shall

him in puss and blood. This one did not honor or

welcome, even with words, a guest who had come

to him, oppressed by hunger. He will be dropped

into the tämisra hell, which is full of fire. There,

bees will torment him for a hundred years.

ayaà tavaà parasyoccair nindäà kurvanna lajjitaù

ayam apyaçåëot karnau prerayan bahuçasta täm

" This shameless person loudly criticized another.

This one here, with great interest, listened to that

criticism many times. Therefore these two have

fallen into a dark well.

" This one, who deceived his friend, is being

roasted in the hell known as raurava. After making

all of these persons eat the fruit of their sins,

I shall release them. O best among men who

have accumulated vast amounts of religious

merit, please leave this place. "

Having pointed out the sinful persons,

Yamaraja became quiet. With his eyes full of tears,

Janaka, the great devotee of Lord Rama, said, " Tell

me, how can these miserable beings quickly be set

free from hell and attain happiness? "

Yamaraja replied, " These persons have never

worshiped Lord Vishnu. They have never listened

to the transcendental accounts of the Lord's activities.

How then can they be free from hell? O great

king, if you desire to release them, even though they

are great sinners, then give them the following religious

merit possessed by you: Once, upon getting

up in the morning, you meditated with a pure heart

upon Lord Raghunatha [Ramachandra], who is

known as mahä-päpa-haräbhidhaù — the remover

of great sins. Give them the religious merit which

you obtained that morning when with a pure heart

you uttered, " Rama, Rama. " Obtaining that merit,

they will get freedom from hell. "

Hearing these words of the intelligent

Yamaraja, the great king Janaka gave those persons

the religious merit obtained by him from

his birth. Janaka said, " Let these persons be released

from hell due to the religious merit earned

by me from birth by the worship of Raghunath. "

As soon as he said this, those persons dwelling in

hell immediately were freed from their suffering condition

and obtained divine bodies. They said to King

Janaka, " O king, by your favor in one moment we

have been freed from miserable hell and will now

go to the highest position, paramaà padam. "

Seeing those now-effulgent persons freed

from hell, Janaka Maharaja, who desired the

welfare of all living beings, was very pleased in

his mind. All those persons praised the great

king Janaka, the very treasure-house of compassion,

and went to the spiritual world.

 

— Translated from the Navabharat Publishers

edition of Padma Purana, Calcutta, 1402 jyeñöha.