True atonement requires heart transformation through spiritual practice, not mere ritualistic punishment or external penance.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Prabhupāda: adhuneha mahā-bhāga yathaiva narakān naraḥ nānogra-yātanān neyāt tan me vyākhyātum arhasi [SB 6.1.6] This is from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Sixth Chapter. This is our latest publication, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Therefore I am taking advantage of this publication to present before you. So in the Fifth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Śukadeva Gosvāmī has given a vivid description of the naraka planets, or the hellish condition of life.
Fifth Canto, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Śukadeva Gosvāmī has given a vivid description of the naraka planets, or the hellish planets. So this verse I am quoting from the First Chapter, Sixth Canto, that Parīkṣit Mahārāja is asking Śukadeva Gosvāmī, "How the people suffering in hellish condition of life can be delivered?" [break] Let him... [break] This is the beginning of the Sixth Chapter of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. [devotee translates thoughout] At the end of the Fifth Chapter, Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī has given description of the hellish planets.
You have seen in the sky, there are millions and millions of stars or planets, and they are divided into three groups. Everything is described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So as it is said in the Bhagavad-gītā, ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthāḥ [Bg 14.18]. [break] ...sattva-sthāḥ, meaning that those who are in the sattva-guṇa, modes of goodness, they are promoted to the higher planetary system. Madhye tiṣṭhanti rājasaḥ: "Those who are under the influence of passion, they remain in the middle planetary system." And those who are in the lowest grade of tamo-guṇa, adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ.
So Parīkṣit Mahārāja, after hearing the pitiable condition of persons in the hellish planets, he became sympathetic. Therefore he is putting the statement before Śukadeva Gosvāmī, adhuneha mahā-bhāga yathaiva narakān naraḥ: "My dear sir, you have described about the hellish condition of the suffering persons. Now kindly give me any enlightenment how they can be delivered." This is the symptom of a Vaiṣṇava. Vaiṣṇava cannot tolerate the sufferings of the humanity.
Just like Prahlāda Mahārāja, he said before Nṛsiṁhadeva, naitad udvije paro duratyaya-vaitaraṇyāḥ: "My dear Lord, I have no problem how to get delivered from this material world." [SB 7.9.43] Because a devotee is already on the transcendental platform. It is said in the Bhagavad-gītā, māṁ ca vyabhicāriṇi bhakti-yogena yaḥ sevate sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyā... [Bg 14.26] Means anyone who is engaged in devotional service, he is already on the Brahman platform. Therefore a devotee means he is already in the Brahman platform, or spiritual platform.
So Parīkṣit Mahārāja became very anxious how this suffering humanity can be saved. Here it is said, nānā ugra yātanāt neyāt tan me vyākhyātum arhasi: "Kindly give me some enlightenment how these people can be saved from this severe type of suffering." So at the present moment in this Age of Kali people are so fallen low that they do not know what is going to happen in the future. They are dismissing the whole problem by saying that there is no next life. This is very precarious condition of the modern civilization.
So as there are comfortable life, we can see there are discomfortable life also. So there is understanding of pāpa and puṇya. Especially in the human form of life one should know what is pāpa and what is puṇya. The human life is responsible life.