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{{short description|Hell in Indian religions}}
{{italic title}}
{{For|the mythological dynasty|Naraka dynasty}}
[[File:Angkor Wat - Heaven and Hell1.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[Angkor Wat]] bas-relief depicts spirits of the dead being laid on fire in Naraka.]]
'''''Naraka''''' ({{lang-sa|नरक}}, literally ''of man'') is the realm of [[hell]] in [[Indian religions]]. According to some schools of [[Hinduism]], [[Sikhism]], [[Jainism]] and [[Buddhism]], ''Naraka'' is a place of torment. The word ''Neraka'' (modification of ''Naraka'') in [[Indonesian language|Indonesian]] and [[Malaysian language|Malaysian]] has also been used to describe the [[Jahannam|Islamic concept of Hell]].<ref>Phyllis Ghim-Lian Chew ''A Sociolinguistic History of Early Identities in Singapore: From Colonialism to Nationalism'' Palgrave Macmillan, 29 Nov 2012 {{ISBN|9781137012333}} p. 195</ref>

Alternatively, the "hellish beings" that are said to reside in this underworld are often referred to as ''Narakas''. These beings are also termed in [[Hindi]] as ''Narakis'' ({{lang-sa|नारकीय}}, {{transl|sa|Nārakīya}}), ''Narakarnavas'' ({{lang-sa|नरकार्णव}}, {{transl|sa|Narakārṇava}}) and ''Narakavasis'' ({{lang-sa|नरकवासी}}, {{transl|sa|Narakavāsī}}).

==Hinduism==
{{main|Naraka (Hinduism)}}
[[File:Hindu hell.jpg|thumb|A large central panel portrays Yama the god of death (often referred to as Dharma) seated on a throne; to the left stands a demon. To the right of Yama sits Chitragupta, assigned with keeping detailed records of every human being and upon their death deciding how they are to be reincarnated, depending on their previous actions.]]

''Naraka'' in [[Vedas]], is a place where souls are sent for the expiation of their sins. It is mentioned especially in [[dharmaśāstra]]s, [[itihāsa]]s and {{IAST|[[Purāṇa]]}}s but also in [[Vedas|Vedic samhitas]],<ref>Śukla Yajur Veda 30.5</ref><ref>Atharva Veda 12.4.36</ref> [[Aranyaka]]s<ref>{{IAST|Aitareya Āraṇyaka}} 2.3.2.4,5</ref> and {{IAST|[[Upaniṣad]]s}}.<ref>{{IAST|Mahanārāyaṇa Upaniṣad}} 1.50</ref><ref>{{IAST|Praśna Upaniṣad}} 3</ref><ref>{{IAST|Nirālamba Upaniṣad}} 2, 17</ref><ref>{{IAST|Paramahaṃsa Upaniṣad}} 3</ref> Some Upanisads speak of 'darkness' instead of hell.<ref>''{{IAST|asuryā nāma te lokā andhena tamasāvṛtāḥ}}'' - {{IAST|Īśa Upaniṣad}} 3</ref> A summary of {{IAST|Upaniṣads}}, [[Bhagavad Gita]], mentions hell several times.<ref>1.41, 1.43, 16.16, 16.21</ref> Even [[Adi Sankara]] mentions it in his commentary on [[Brahma Sutras|Vedanta sutra]].<ref>Vedānta sūtra 4.3.14</ref> Except the views of Hindu philosopher [[Madhva]], it is not seen as place of eternal [[Damnation|damnation]] within Hinduism.<ref name="glasenapp">[[Helmuth von Glasenapp]]: Der Hinduismus. Religion und Gesellschaft im heutigen Indien, Hildesheim 1978, p. 248.</ref> Still, some people like members of [[Arya Samaj]] don't accept the existence of Naraka or consider it metaphorical.{{citation needed|date=May 2019}}

In Puranas like [[Bhagavata Purana]], [[Garuda Purana]] and [[Vishnu Purana]] there are elaborate descriptions of many hells. They are situated above the Garbhodaka ocean.<ref>{{IAST|Bhāgavata Purāṇa}} 5.26.5</ref>

[[Yama (Hinduism)|Yama]], Lord of Justice, judges living beings after [[death]] and assigns appropriate punishments. [[Nitya-samsarins]] (forever transmigrating ones) can experience Naraka for [[expiation]].<ref>''Bhakti Schools of Vedanta'', by Swami Tapasyananda</ref> After the period of punishment is complete, they are reborn on earth<ref>{{IAST|Bhāgavata Purāṇa}} 5.26.37</ref> in human or bestial bodies.<ref>{{IAST|Garuḍa Purāṇa}} 2.10.88-89, 2.46.9-10,28</ref> Therefore, neither naraka nor [[svarga]]<ref>Bhagavad gītā 9.21</ref> are permanent abodes.

''Yama Loka'' is the abode of Lord Yama. Yama is ''Dharmaraja'' or Dharma king; Yama Loka is a temporary ''purgatorium'' for sinners (papi). According to Hindu scriptures, Yama's divine assistant Lord [[Chitragupta]] maintains a record of the individual deeds of every living being in the world, and based on the complete audit of his deeds, dispatches the soul of the deceased either to [[Svarga]] (Heaven) or to the various Narakas according to the nature of their sins. The scriptures describe that even people who have done a majority of good deeds could come to Yama Loka for redemption from the small sins they have committed, and once the punishments have been served for those sins they could be sent for rebirth to earth or to heaven. In the epic of [[Mahabharata]], even the [[Pandavas]] (who represent righteousness and virtuousness) spent a brief time in hell for their small sins.

At the time of death, [[sin]]ful souls are vulnerable for capture by Yamadutas, servants of Yama (who comes personally only in special cases). Yama ordered his servants to leave [[Vaishnava]]s alone.<ref>{{IAST|Bhāgavata Purāṇa}} 6.3</ref><ref>{{IAST|Nṛsiṃha Purāṇa}} 9.1-2</ref> Sri Vaishnavas are taken by Vishnudutas to [[Vaikuntha]] and Gaudiya Vaishnavas to [[Goloka]].{{citation needed|date=December 2013}}

==Buddhism==
{{Main|Naraka (Buddhism)}}
[[File:Buddhist-hell-Thailand-3.jpg|thumb|right|200px|A mural from a temple in northern Thailand. The unclothed spirits of the dead are brought before [[Yama (Buddhism and Chinese mythology)|Yama]] for judgement. In the background, Mālaya (พระมาลัย) watches from above as sinners are fried in a large oil cauldron.]]

In Buddhism, Naraka refers to the worlds of greatest suffering. [[Buddhist texts]] describe a vast array of tortures and realms of torment in Naraka; an example is the ''Devadūta-sutta'' from the [[Pāli Canon]]. The descriptions vary from text to text and are not always consistent with each other. Though the term is often translated as "hell", unlike the Abrahamic hells, Naraka is not eternal, though when a timescale is given, it is suggested to be extraordinarily long. In this sense, it is similar to [[purgatory]], but unlike both Abrahamic hell and purgatory, there is no [[divinity|divine]] force involved in determining a being's entry and exit to and from the realm and no [[soul]] is involved. Rather, the being is brought here—as is the case with all the other realms in the [[Buddhist cosmology]]—by natural law: the law of [[Karma (Buddhism)|karma]], and they remain until the negative karma that brought them there has been used up.

==Jainism==
{{Main|Naraka (Jainism)}}
In Jainism, Naraka is the name given to realm of existence in [[Jain cosmology]] having great suffering. The length of a being's stay in a Naraka is not eternal, though it is usually very long—measured in billions of years. A soul is born into a Naraka as a direct result of his or her previous [[Karma in Jainism|karma]] (actions of body, speech and mind), and resides there for a finite length of time until his karma has achieved its full result. After his karma is used up, he may be reborn in one of the higher worlds as the result of an earlier karma that had not yet ripened. Jain texts mention that these hells are situated in the seven grounds at the lower part of the universe. The seven grounds are:

# Ratna prabha
# Sharkara prabha.
# Valuka prabha.
# Panka prabha.
# Dhuma prabha.
# Tamaha prabha.
# Mahatamaha prabha.

==See also==
* [[Shurangama Sutra]] - Volume 6, Chapter 5: The Twelve Categories of Living Beings
*[[List of numbers in Hindu scriptures]]

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.godrealized.com/Naraka.html Definition at godrealized.com]
* [http://www.unusual-travel-destinations.com/Wat_Thawet.html ''Wat Thawet Buddhist Learning Garden''] Feature Article

{{Hell}}

[[Category:Naraka| ]]
[[Category:Afterlife places]]
[[Category:Hell]]
[[Category:Non-human races in Hindu mythology]]
[[Category:Hinduism]]
[[Category:Sikhism]]
[[Category:Jainism]]
[[Category:Buddhist cosmology]]

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