Do Hindus believe in heaven and hell?

yes, but both are temporary stops — not the final goal, which is liberation.

Hindu texts describe svarga, the heavenly realms of the gods, and naraka, realms of suffering. The Purāṇas, especially the Garuḍa Purāṇa, describe the hells in vivid detail, and Yama, the lord of dharma, judges the departed. Many people take these descriptions literally; others read them as pictures of the mind's own states after death.

The key difference from some other religions is that neither is eternal. The Gītā says that those who reach heaven by good deeds enjoy it and, when their merit is used up, return to the mortal world (9.21). Hell likewise ends when its karma is exhausted. Both are part of saṃsāra, the cycle of birth and death.

So the highest aim is not heaven but mokṣa — freedom from the whole cycle, described as union with or eternal loving service of the Divine, depending on the school. Heaven is a holiday; mokṣa is home.

Source: Bhagavad Gītā 9.21; Garuḍa Purāṇa · Svarga and naraka are temporary

Dharma Q&A — Jyotiṣa, scriptures & modern life · Ask a Jyotishi your own question