Gita 01.43 – Hell Forever Is A Subjective Feeling Not An Objective Fact

 

Audio Link 2: https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/gita-01-43-hell-forever-is-a-subjective-feeling-not-an-objective-fact/

 

utsanna-kula-dharmāṇāṁ

manuṣyāṇāṁ janārdana

narake niyataṁ vāso

bhavatīty anuśuśruma

 

Word-for-word:

utsanna — spoiled; kula-dharmāṇām — of those who have the family traditions; manuṣyāṇām — of such men; janārdana — O Kṛṣṇa; narake — in hell; niyatam — always; vāsaḥ — residence; bhavati — it so becomes; iti — thus; anuśuśruma — I have heard by disciplic succession.

 

Translation:

O Kṛṣṇa, maintainer of the people, I have heard by disciplic succession that those whose family traditions are destroyed dwell always in hell.

 

Explanation:

In the previous verse, Arjuna states, utsādyante jāti-dharmah kula-dharmāś ca śāśvatah—indicating that both jāti-dharma (duties based on social order) and kula-dharma (duties of the family lineage) are destroyed when the leading members of the dynasty perish. Here, he continues reasoning about why he should refrain from fighting his relatives.

 

utsanna-kula-dharmāṇāṁ manuṣyāṇāṁ janārdhana: When the kula-dharma is disrupted, Arjuna argues that this disruption has serious repercussions. He reasons, “Therefore, I should not fight this war,” and elaborates on the consequences. He addresses Kṛṣṇa as Janārdana, the maintainer of all people, questioning, “Why are you impelling me toward an action that will lead to the ruin of the world and my own destruction?” Here, Arjuna identifies himself as the ‘manuṣya’, the person who will bring about this destruction, contemplating the gravity of his potential actions.

 

Arjuna further states, narake niyataṁ vāso—such a person will reside forever in hell. He supports this claim with bhavati iti anuśuśruma, meaning, “This is what I have heard.” Here, Arjuna underscores the weight of traditional teachings that stress the grave consequences of such actions.

 

Śrīla Prabhupāda would often emphasize the principle of hearing. Śuśruma refers to hearing, while anuśuśruma implies systematically hearing from proper authorities. The Pāṇḍavas lived in a culture where hearing was deeply valued. Despite their responsibilities as kings and administrators, they would seek out sages and listen to their teachings.

 

When the Pāṇḍavas were in exile, they would repeatedly hear from sages who visited them, such as Mārkaṇḍeya Rṣi and Nārada Rṣi, among others. These great sages shared spiritual wisdom with them in the forest. At other times, even when the Pāṇḍavas were in the palace, they would welcome sages and listen to their teachings.

 

Hearing was indeed a well-established cultural practice among the general populace as well. Local saints and traveling mendicants would regularly speak, and people would gather to listen to them. This created abundant opportunities for anuśuśruma—systematic hearing from reliable sources. Arjuna, now reflecting on what he has heard, acknowledges the role of the sages, whose dissemination of knowledge guided people to uphold morality and spirituality.

 

Arjuna states that those who destroy the dynasty will face severe consequences—narake niyataṁ vāso, or constant residence in hell. This raises the question: is Arjuna describing a concept similar to the eternal damnation present in Abrahamic religions? In those traditions, the belief is often that this one life is all that we have, and failure to surrender to Jesus, Allah through Muhammad, or a similar figure, results in eternal residence in hell.

 

Whether or not such a teaching exists in the original form of Abrahamic religious scriptures is debatable; however, it is clear that this idea is not a part of the broad Vedic tradition. To understand Arjuna’s perspective, we must consider the broader context of the Bhagavad-gītā. Throughout the text, it is emphasized that anyone and everyone can ultimately be delivered, and it’s made clear that one lifetime is not the entirety of our existence. Rather, we journey through countless lifetimes, and the Gītā explains that the soul transitions from body to body, much like a person changing clothes.

 

Later, Kṛṣṇa will explain that “ā-brahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ punar āvartino ’rjuna” (Bhagavad-gītā 8.16): wherever one goes in the material world, one must return, because the entire material realm is “duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam” (Bhagavad-gītā 8.15)—a place of misery and impermanence. Since the material world itself is temporary, and hell is a part of it, residence in hell cannot be truly eternal if hell itself is not eternal.

 

Furthermore, the Purāṇas contain numerous accounts of souls being liberated from hell by the power of the holy name or the association of saints. Here, the term “niyataṁ vāso”—residing forever—conveys a subjective feeling rather than an objective fact. It is used more in a symbolic sense than in a literal one.

 

For instance, the soul is described as nitya-baddha—eternally bound—but does that mean our conditioning is actually eternal? It’s not that we have always been in the material world. However, from the perspective of our current lifetime and our limited concepts of time, our conditioning has been so prolonged that it feels like an eternity.

 

In this way, one may reside in hell for a very, very long time, which, from the vantage point of one’s current life, can seem like forever. But Kṛṣṇa is certainly not a God who eternally condemns souls to hell. The principle of karma ensures that reactions are proportional to actions, meaning no action is so grievous that its consequences would continue for eternity.

 

Indeed, karma itself is not eternal; it is temporary. Once an action is performed, its reaction lies latent until it manifests, and eventually, that reaction becomes exhausted. Therefore, no karma can result in an eternal stay in hell, as all karmic reactions are ultimately finite.

 

This means there is no vengeful God casting people into hell forever, nor is there any karma that results in perpetual residence in hell. Thus, the phrase narake niyataṁ vāso is not meant in a literal sense but rather suggests a prolonged stay in hell, one that may feel like “forever” due to the extended nature of karmic consequences.

 

When Śrīla Prabhupāda was asked whether hell is eternal, he responded that nothing except ecstatic devotional service to Kṛṣṇa is eternal—everything else is temporary. Arjuna is now contemplating the consequences of his actions, with the word naraka (hell) appearing twice so far. Earlier, he mentioned saṅkaro narakāyaiva kula-ghnānāṁ kulasya ca (Bhagavad-gītā 1.41), indicating that even in this life, the world will become hellish when there are no proper guardians of society. Furthermore, a person who creates such a hellish state in this world will also have to endure suffering in hell and experience its consequences.

 

The point is, as will be elaborated in the next verses, that we should not engage in actions, like fighting in this war, that have such grievous consequences for others, for society, and for ourselves. This is the emphasis Arjuna is making. When we keep this emphasis in mind, then these statements can be properly understood in the broader context of the philosophy.

 

For example, in the Iśopaniṣad, the term ātma-hā is used, meaning the killer of the soul. This cannot be taken literally because the soul is avināśi—it can never be killed. Kṛṣṇa himself affirms this in Bhagavad-gītā 2.17: avināśi tu tad viddhi. Then, in 16.21, he mentions tri-vidhaṁ narakasyedaṁ dvāraṁ nāśanam ātmanaḥ: there are three gates to hell that destroy the soul. This destruction is obviously not in terms of the soul’s existence, as the soul is indestructible. Rather, it refers to the destruction of the conscience of the soul and its capacity for spiritual realization, which can become obscured by negative actions and choices.

 

Here, Arjuna, through his reasoning, is coming to the conclusion that they should not fight, as he believes the consequences of such actions will be terribly grievous. The emphasis needs to be placed on the principle that wrong actions lead to severe consequences, rather than interpreting literally that one will be condemned to hell forever.