When Parīkṣit Mahārāja inquired:
- adhuneha mahā-bhāga
- yathaiva narakān naraḥ
- nānogra-yātanān neyāt
- tan me vyākhyātum arhasi
- (SB 6.1.6)
"Kindly describe how these sinful men who are suffering, how they can be rescued from this sinful reaction," so Śukadeva Goswāmī replied:
- na ced ihaivāpacitiṁ yathāmhasaḥ
- kṛtasya kuryān mana-ukta-pāṇibhiḥ
- dhruvaṁ sa vai pretya narakān upaiti
- ye kīrtitā me bhavatas tigma-yātanāḥ
- (SB 6.1.7)
He says: "My dear King, that unless he makes atonement for the sinful activities in this life, then next life he'll have to suffer." This is the answer. Ihaivāpacitim yathāmhasaḥ. Aṁhasaḥ means sinful activities, as he has done. How he has done? Kuryān manah-ukta-pāṇibhiḥ. Just see. We are committing sinful activities even by thinking. Even by thinking. If I think that, "I shall kill that man," this is mental activity. Still it is sinful. Manaḥ uktiḥ. If I unnecessarily chastise you by words, "You rascal this and that," so many . . . that is also a kind of sinful activity. And if I commit by action, ah, that is sure. Therefore it is said, kṛtasya kuryān mana-ukta-pāṇibhiḥ. Pāṇibhiḥ with hands, or by mind or . . .
The concession for this age: when we think of any sinful activities it does not affect us, but when we actually . . . suppose I'm thinking of killing you. This thinking of killing you is also sinful, but unless I kill you, the sin is not, I mean to say, prominent. In this age that is concession. But we are actually thinking, feeling and willing and acting so many sinful activities that we do not know. That is the ignorance. So dhruvaṁ sa vai pretya narakān upaiti.