Buddhism teaches that life is part of a vast cycle of rebirth known as Saṃsāra, where beings are reborn into various realms depending on their karma — the accumulated results of their actions.
Among these realms are six heavenly realms (Deva realms) and multiple hells (Naraka realms). Related article - rebirth and karma.
While the heavens offer great pleasure and beauty, and the hells offer immense suffering, both are temporary. Let’s explore these realms in detail.
The Six Heavens of the Desire Realm (Kāmadhātu)
The Kāmadhātu, or Desire Realm, is the lowest of the three main planes in Buddhist cosmology, which also includes the Form Realm (Rūpadhātu) and the Formless Realm (Arūpadhātu).
The Desire Realm includes both human existence and six levels of Deva (god-like) beings who live in blissful states. However, these are still bound by desire and karma, and beings here are not free from the cycle of rebirth.
1. Cāturmahārājika – Realm of the Four Great Kings
This is the lowest of the heavenly realms and sits just above the human world. It is inhabited by the Four Heavenly Kings, each of whom guards one of the cardinal directions: North, South, East, and West. These beings protect the world and uphold the Dharma. They also oversee the yakshas (nature spirits), nāgas (serpent beings), and other semi-divine entities.
2. Trāyastriṃśa – Heaven of the Thirty-Three Gods
This realm is located atop Mount Meru, the mythical central mountain in Buddhist and Hindu cosmology. It is ruled by Śakra (Indra), a powerful deity known for his leadership and virtue. The name “Thirty-Three” refers to Śakra and his retinue of 32 other devas. Beings here enjoy immense pleasures and long lives, but are still bound by karma.
3. Yāma – The Joyful Heaven Beyond Conflict
In the Yāma heaven, beings experience pleasure without conflict or suffering. There are no divisions or battles, and life flows in peace and joy. The beings in this realm have radiant bodies and are free from many of the problems found in the lower deva realms.
4. Tuṣita – The Heaven of Contentment
Tuṣita is one of the most important heavens in Mahāyāna and Theravāda Buddhism. It is believed that future Buddhas, including Maitreya, reside here before taking their final rebirth into the human world to attain enlightenment. The beings in Tuṣita are deeply joyful and spiritually inclined.
5. Nirmāṇarati – The Heaven of Delight in Creations
In this realm, devas enjoy pleasures that they themselves create with their minds. These beings have incredible creative powers, and their reality is shaped by their mental fabrications. It’s a realm of intense personal bliss and self-expression.
6. Para-nirmita-vaśavartin – The Heaven of Power Over Others’ Creations
This is the highest of the six heavenly realms in the Desire Realm. Beings here control and enjoy the creations of others. It is a place of immense power and influence.
Ironically, this realm is often considered spiritually dangerous because its pleasures and pride can lead to strong attachment and eventual downfall.
Note: Even these heavenly realms are not eternal. When a being’s positive karma is exhausted, they are reborn in another realm, which could be lower, depending on their past actions.
The Eight Hells (Naraka Realms)
Below the human and animal realms lie the hells, or Naraka realms, which are states of intense suffering caused by severely negative karma. While Buddhist hells are not eternal (unlike in some other religions), the suffering can last for eons, depending on the weight of one's karma. Related article - Zen Buddhism vs. Tibetan Buddhism.
Although there are traditionally eight hot and eight cold hells, here are four commonly discussed ones that serve as representative examples:
1. Saṃjīva (Reviving Hell)
In the Saṃjīva Hell, beings endure a relentless cycle of death and resurrection. They are cut, torn apart, and killed by infernal torturers, only to be miraculously restored to life and subjected to the same pain repeatedly.
This endless torment reflects the unceasing cycle of suffering caused by killing or harming others in past lives. The name "Reviving" signifies how even death offers no escape.
Each resurrection renews the agony, symbolizing the power of karma and the deep consequences of violent actions. This hell teaches the devastating impact of taking life and the persistence of karmic retribution.
2. Kālasūtra (Black Thread Hell)
The Kālasūtra Hell is named after the black lines that appear on a being’s body, marking where demonic executioners will cut them apart.
These lines represent the exactitude of karmic justice—every harmful action is repaid with proportional suffering. Beings are sliced with burning saws, scalded iron, or knives, their pain intensified by the surgical precision of the torture.
This hell is particularly associated with those who have committed deception or created division through speech. It emphasizes that our words and intentions carve deep consequences, both in this life and beyond. Justice here is delivered with unwavering clarity and severity.
3. Saṅghāta (Crushing Hell)
In Saṅghāta, beings are crushed repeatedly between colossal mountains or immense iron masses that collide with devastating force. The bodies are pulverized into unrecognizable forms, yet they regenerate again and again, only to be crushed anew.
This unrelenting torment symbolizes the destructive weight of hatred, cruelty, and pride. It reflects the karmic burden of those who abused power or inflicted heavy emotional and physical pain on others.
The pain here is not only physical but symbolic, showing how the consequences of one’s actions can become an unbearable pressure, grinding the soul until karmic debt is eventually repaid.
4. Raurava (Screaming Hell)
Raurava, the Screaming Hell, is filled with cries of unbearable agony. Beings here suffer intense torment from fire, weapons, and other tortures as punishment for acts of betrayal, selfishness, and intentional harm toward others.
The endless screaming is both literal and metaphorical, reflecting the inner guilt and fear born from deep moral violations.
In this realm, victims of one’s past misdeeds often appear as avengers, amplifying the emotional and psychological torment. Raurava teaches that when one's actions cause immense suffering to others, that suffering returns in magnified form, echoing through every scream in this nightmarish realm.
5. Mahāraurava (Great Screaming Hell)
Even more terrifying than Raurava, Mahāraurava is the realm of Great Screaming. Here, the suffering is amplified by fire that burns not only the body but also the mind. Internal flames torment beings from within, signifying guilt and regret as much as physical agony.
This hell is reserved for those who knowingly exploited or destroyed others for personal gain.
The cries of the damned are louder and more desperate, indicating a more intense level of moral corruption. Mahāraurava shows how evil rooted in deliberate cruelty leads to a burning conscience and soul-scarring karma that screams endlessly for redemption.
6. Tāpa (Heating Hell)
Tāpa, or the Heating Hell, subjects beings to severe burning using molten metal, red-hot iron, and blazing fires. The environment is a furnace of suffering, with bodies scorched, branded, and roasted. This realm is inhabited by those driven by destructive emotions like greed, envy, and wrath.
Beings here are often forced to swallow molten copper or walk across burning ground, symbolizing the karmic consequences of harmful desires and uncontrolled passions.
Tāpa represents how inner heat—our mental defilements—can manifest in external torment. It is a warning against letting destructive thoughts and emotions dominate our actions.
7. Pratāpa (Great Heating Hell)
Pratāpa, the Great Heating Hell, is a more extreme version of Tāpa. Here, the heat is more intense, and the torture devices are even more horrifying. Beings are impaled, incinerated, or locked inside flaming iron houses where escape is impossible.
This realm is for those who not only committed evil but did so with intense malice, hate, or power. The infernal torment reflects how deeply ingrained negative karma can magnify suffering. Pratāpa serves as a spiritual caution: the more deliberate and hateful one’s actions, the deeper the suffering that follows. It’s a realm of fire fed by evil intent.
8. Avīci (Uninterrupted Hell)
Avīci is the lowest and most horrific of all Buddhist hells. Known as the Uninterrupted Hell, it is marked by constant, unrelenting suffering without pause. Beings are subjected to all forms of torture—burning, cutting, crushing—without relief or death. Related article - The art of letting go.
There is no space between moments of pain. This realm is reserved for the gravest offenders: those who have killed saints, committed extreme cruelty, or denied the Dharma.
Unlike other hells, where suffering has breaks or cycles, Avīci offers no reprieve until the full weight of karma is exhausted. It stands as the final warning of how deep karma can burn.
Like the heavens, these hells are also impermanent. Once the karma that led to this suffering is purified through experience, the being will be reborn elsewhere — possibly in a better realm, depending on their residual karma.
Karma, Rebirth, and the Path Beyond
The Six Heavens and Eight Hells are part of a greater cosmic system in Buddhist belief — a system governed by karma. Every action, thought, and intention has consequences that determine where a being will be reborn.
While many may strive to reach the Deva realms for their pleasures, Buddhism ultimately teaches that true liberation lies beyond all these realms. The goal is to break free from the cycle of Saṃsāra altogether and attain Nirvāṇa, the end of suffering.
Final Thought
Understanding the six heavens and four hells in Buddhism provides insight into the workings of karma, rebirth, and the impermanence of all conditioned existence.
These realms are not merely mythological; they symbolize the results of our actions and mental states. Whether one ascends to a heaven or descends to a hell, the lesson is clear: the quality of our actions today shapes our path tomorrow. By cultivating wisdom, compassion, and ethical conduct, we move closer to ultimate freedom.
Thanks.
Written By HarvestedSpiritualmind.
Spiritual Practice and Life Motivation Researchers.