rājā uvāca - the King said; narakāḥ - the hellish regions; nāma - named; bhagavan - O my Lord; kim - whether; deśa-viśeṣāḥ - a particular country; athavā - or; bahiḥ - outside; tri-lokyāḥ - the three worlds (the universe); āhosvit - or; antarāle - in the intermediate spaces within the universe; iti - thus.

King Parīkṣit inquired from Śukadeva Gosvāmī: My dear lord, are the hellish regions outside the universe, within the covering of the universe, or in different places on this planet?