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I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying
near Sāvatthī in Jeta's Grove,
Anāthapiṇḍika's monastery. There the Blessed One addressed the
monks, "Monks."
"Yes, lord," the monks responded to him.
The Blessed One said, "Monks, it's as if there were two
households with doors, and a man of good eyesight, standing there
between them, would see people entering & leaving a house,
wandering out & about. In the same way, I — by means of the
divine eye, purified & surpassing the human — see beings
passing away & re-appearing, and I discern how they are
inferior & superior, beautiful & ugly, fortunate &
unfortunate in accordance with their actions: 'O, how these beings
— who were endowed with good conduct of body, speech, & mind,
who did not revile noble ones, who held right views and undertook
actions under the influence of right views — with the break-up of
the body, after death, have re-appeared in a good destination, the
heavenly world. Or how these beings — who were endowed with bad
conduct of body, speech & mind, who reviled noble ones, held
wrong views and undertook actions under the influence of wrong
views — with the break-up of the body, after death, have
re-appeared in the realm of the hungry ghosts. Or how these beings
— who were endowed with bad conduct of body, speech & mind, who
reviled noble ones, held wrong views and undertook actions under
the influence of wrong views — with the break-up of the body, after
death, have re-appeared in the animal womb. Or how these beings —
who were endowed with bad conduct of body, speech & mind, who
reviled noble ones, held wrong views and undertook actions under
the influence of wrong views — with the break-up of the body, after
death, have re-appeared in a plane of deprivation, a bad
destination, a lower realm, hell.'
"Then the hell-wardens, seizing (such a being) by the arms,
present him to King Yama: 'This is a man,
your majesty, with no respect for mother, no respect for father
[1], no reverence for contemplatives, no reverence for
brahmans, no honor for the leaders of his clan. Let your majesty
decree his punishment.'
"Then King Yama interrogates & interpellates &
castigates the man regarding the first deva messenger: 'My good
man, didn't you see the first deva messenger that has appeared
among human beings?'
"'I didn't, lord,' he says.
Then King Yama says, 'My good man, didn't you see among human
beings a tender baby boy lying prone in its own urine &
excrement?'
"'I did, lord,' he says.
Then King Yama says, 'My good man, didn't the thought occur to
you — observant & mature: "I, too, am subject to birth, have
not gone beyond birth. I'd better do good with body, speech, &
mind"?'
"'I couldn't, lord. I was heedless, lord.'
Then King Yama says, 'My good man, through heedlessness you did
not do what is good with body, speech, & mind. And of course,
my good man, they will deal with you in accordance with your
heedlessness. For that evil kamma [2] of yours was neither done by your mother, nor done
by your father, nor done by your brother, nor done by your sister,
nor done by your friends & companions, nor done by your kinsmen
& relatives, nor done by the devas. That evil kamma was done by
you yourself, and you yourself will experience its result.'
"Then, having interrogated & interpellated & castigated
the man regarding the first deva messenger, King Yama interrogates
& interpellates & castigates him regarding the second: 'My
good man, didn't you see the second deva messenger that has
appeared among human beings?'
"'I didn't, lord,' he says.
"Then King Yama says, 'My good man, didn't you see among human
beings a woman or man eighty, ninety, one hundred years old: aged,
roof-rafter crooked, bent-over, supported by a cane, palsied,
miserable, broken-toothed, gray-haired, scanty-haired, bald,
wrinkled, with limbs all blotchy?'
"'I did, lord,' he says.
"Then King Yama says, 'My good man, didn't the thought occur to
you — observant & mature: "I, too, am subject to aging, have
not gone beyond aging. I'd better do good with body, speech, &
mind"?'
"'I couldn't, lord. I was heedless, lord.'
"Then King Yama says, 'My good man, through heedlessness you did
not do what is good with body, speech, & mind. And of course,
my good man, they will deal with you in accordance with your
heedlessness. For that evil kamma of yours was neither done by your
mother, nor done by your father, nor done by your brother, nor done
by your sister, nor done by your friends & companions, nor done
by your kinsmen & relatives, nor done by the devas. That evil
kamma was done by you yourself, and you yourself will experience
its result.'
"Then, having interrogated & interpellated & castigated
the man regarding the second deva messenger, King Yama interrogates
& interpellates & castigates him regarding the third: 'My
good man, didn't you see the third deva messenger that has appeared
among human beings?'
"'I didn't, lord,' he says.
"Then King Yama says, 'My good man, didn't you see among human
beings a woman or man diseased, in pain, severely ill, lying in
her/his own urine & excrement, lifted up by others, laid down
by others?'
"'I did, lord,' he says.
"Then King Yama says, 'My good man, didn't the thought occur to
you — observant & mature: "I, too, am subject to illness, have
not gone beyond illness. I'd better do good with body, speech,
& mind"?'
"'I couldn't, lord. I was heedless, lord.'
"Then King Yama says, 'My good man, through heedlessness you did
not do what is good with body, speech, & mind. And of course,
my good man, they will deal with you in accordance with your
heedlessness. For that evil kamma of yours was neither done by your
mother, nor done by your father, nor done by your brother, nor done
by your sister, nor done by your friends & companions, nor done
by your kinsmen & relatives, nor done by the devas. That evil
kamma was done by you yourself, and you yourself will experience
its result.'
"Then, having interrogated & interpellated & castigated
the man regarding the third deva messenger, King Yama interrogates
& interpellates & castigates him regarding the fourth: 'My
good man, didn't you see the fourth deva messenger that has
appeared among human beings?'
"'I didn't, lord,' he says.
"Then King Yama says, 'My good man, didn't you see among human
beings kings — catching a thief, a criminal — having him tortured
in many ways: flogging him with whips, beating him with canes,
beating him with clubs; cutting off his hands, cutting off his
feet, cut off his hands & feet; cutting off his ears, cutting
off his nose, cutting off his ears & nose; subjecting him to
the 'porridge pot,' the 'polished-shell shave,' the 'Rāhu's mouth,'
the 'flaming garland,' the 'blazing hand,' the 'grass-duty
(ascetic),' the 'bark-dress (ascetic),' the 'burning antelope,' the
'meat hooks,' the 'coin-gouging,' the 'lye pickling,' the 'pivot on
a stake,' the 'rolled-up bed'; having him splashed with boiling
oil, devoured by dogs, impaled alive on a stake; cutting off his
head with a sword?'
"'I did, lord,' he says.
"Then King Yama says, 'My good man, didn't the thought occur to
you — observant & mature: "It seems that those who do evil
actions are tortured in these many ways in the here-&-now. And
how much more in the hereafter? I'd better do good with body,
speech, & mind"?'
"'I couldn't, lord. I was heedless, lord.'
"Then King Yama says, 'My good man, through heedlessness you did
not do what is good with body, speech, & mind. And of course,
my good man, they will deal with you in accordance with your
heedlessness. For that evil kamma of yours was neither done by your
mother, nor done by your father, nor done by your brother, nor done
by your sister, nor done by your friends & companions, nor done
by your kinsmen & relatives, nor done by the devas. That evil
kamma was done by you yourself, and you yourself will experience
its result.'
"Then, having interrogated & interpellated & castigated
the man regarding the fourth deva messenger, King Yama interrogates
& interpellates & castigates him regarding the fifth: 'My
good man, didn't you see the fifth deva messenger that has appeared
among human beings?'
"'I didn't, lord,' he says.
"Then King Yama says, 'My good man, didn't you see among human
beings a woman or man, one day, two days, or three days dead:
bloated, livid, oozing with lymph?'
"'I did, lord,' he says.
"Then King Yama says, 'My good man, didn't the thought occur to
you — observant & mature: "I, too, am subject to death, have
not gone beyond death. I'd better do good with body, speech, &
mind"?'
"'I couldn't, lord. I was heedless, lord.'
"Then King Yama says, 'My good man, through heedlessness you did
not do what is good with body, speech, & mind. And of course,
my good man, they will deal with you in accordance with your
heedlessness. For that evil kamma of yours was neither done by your
mother, nor done by your father, nor done by your brother, nor done
by your sister, nor done by your friends & companions, nor done
by your kinsmen & relatives, nor done by the devas. That evil
kamma was done by you yourself, and you yourself will experience
its result.'
"Then, having interrogated & interpellated & castigated
the man regarding the fifth deva messenger, King Yama falls silent.
[3]
"Then the hell-wardens torture [the evil-doer] with what's
called a five-fold imprisonment. They drive a red-hot iron stake
through one hand, they drive a red-hot iron stake through the other
hand, they drive a red-hot iron stake through one foot, they drive
a red-hot iron stake through the other foot, they drive a red-hot
iron stake through the middle of his chest. There he feels painful,
racking, piercing feelings, yet he does not die as long as his evil
kamma is not exhausted.
"Then the hell-wardens lay him down and slice him with axes.
Then they hold him feet up & head down and slice him with
adzes. Then they harness him to a chariot and drive him back &
forth over ground that is burning, blazing, & glowing. Then
they make him climb up & down a vast mountain of embers that is
burning, blazing, & glowing. Then they hold him feet up &
head down and plunge him into a red-hot copper cauldron that is
burning, blazing, & glowing. There he boils with bubbles
foaming. And as he is boiling there with bubbles foaming, he goes
now up, he goes now down, he goes now around. There he feels
painful, racking, piercing feelings, yet he does not die as long as
his evil kamma is not exhausted. [4]
"Then the hell-wardens throw him into the Great Hell. And as to
the Great Hell, monks:
"The flame that leaps from the eastern wall of the Great Hell
strikes the western wall. The flame that leaps from the western
wall strikes the eastern wall. The flame that leaps from the
northern wall strikes the southern wall. The flame that leaps from
the southern wall strikes the northern wall. The flame that leaps
from the bottom strikes the top. The flame that leaps from the top
strikes the bottom. There he feels painful, racking, piercing
feelings, yet he does not die as long as his evil kamma is not
exhausted.
"There comes a time when, ultimately, with the passing of a long
stretch of time, the eastern gate of the Great Hell opens. He runs
there, rushing quickly. As he runs there, rushing quickly, his
outer skin burns, his inner skin burns, his flesh burns, his
tendons burn, even his bones turn to smoke. When [his foot] is
lifted, he is the just same. [5] But when he finally arrives, the door slams shut.
There he feels painful, racking, piercing feelings, yet he does not
die as long as his evil kamma is not exhausted.
"There comes a time when, ultimately, with the passing of a long
stretch of time, the western gate of the Great Hell opens... the
northern gate... the southern gate of the Great Hell opens. He runs
there, rushing quickly. As he runs there, rushing quickly, his
outer skin burns, his inner skin burns, his flesh burns, his
tendons burn, even his bones turn to smoke. When [his foot] is
lifted, he is the just same. But when he finally arrives, the door
slams shut. There he feels painful, racking, piercing feelings, yet
he does not die as long as his evil kamma is not exhausted.
"There comes a time when, ultimately, with the passing of a long
stretch of time, the eastern gate of the Great Hell opens. He runs
there, rushing quickly. As he runs there, rushing quickly, his
outer skin burns, his inner skin burns, his flesh burns, his
tendons burn, even his bones turn to smoke. When [his foot] is
lifted, he is the just same. He gets out through the gate. But
right next to the Great Hell is a vast Excrement Hell. He falls
into that. And in that Excrement Hell needle-mouth beings bore into
his outer skin. Having bored into his outer skin, they bore into
his inner skin... his flesh... his tendons... the bone. Having
bored into the bone, they feed on the marrow. There he feels
painful, racking, piercing feelings, yet he does not die as long as
his evil kamma is not exhausted.
"Right next to the Excrement Hell is the vast Hot Ashes Hell. He
falls into that. There he feels painful, racking, piercing
feelings, yet he does not die as long as his evil kamma is not
exhausted.
"Right next to the Hot Ashes Hell is the vast Simbali Forest,
[with trees] reaching up a league, covered with thorns sixteen
fingerbreadths long — burning, blazing, & glowing. He enters
that and is made to climb up & down them. There he feels
painful, racking, piercing feelings, yet he does not die as long as
his evil kamma is not exhausted.
"Right next to the Simbali Forest is the vast Sword-leaf Forest.
He enters that. There the leaves, stirred by the wind, cut off his
hand, cut off his foot, cut off his hand & foot, cut off his
ear, cut off his nose, cut off his ear & nose. There he feels
painful, racking, piercing feelings, yet he does not die as long as
his evil kamma is not exhausted.
"Right next to the Sword-leaf Forest is the vast Lye-water
River. He falls into that. There he is swept downstream, he is
swept upstream, he is swept downstream & upstream. There he
feels painful, racking, piercing feelings, yet he does not die as
long as his evil kamma is not exhausted.
"Then the hell-wardens pull him out with a hook and, placing him
on the ground, say to him, 'Well, good man, what do you want?' He
replies, 'I'm hungry, venerable sirs.' So the hell-wardens pry open
his mouth with red-hot iron tongs — burning, blazing, & glowing
— and throw into it a copper ball, burning, blazing, & glowing.
It burns his lips, it burns his mouth, it burns his stomach and
comes out the lower side, carrying along his bowels &
intestines. There he feels painful, racking, piercing feelings, yet
he does not die as long as his evil kamma is not exhausted.
"Then the hell-wardens say to him, 'Well, good man, what do you
want?' He replies, 'I'm thirsty, venerable sirs.' So the
hell-wardens pry open his mouth with red-hot iron tongs — burning,
blazing, & glowing — and pour into it molten copper, burning,
blazing, & glowing. It burns his lips, it burns his mouth, it
burns his stomach and comes out the lower side, carrying along his
bowels & intestines. There he feels painful, racking, piercing
feelings, yet he does not die as long as his evil kamma is not
exhausted.
"Then the hell-wardens throw him back into the Great Hell once
more. [6]
"Once, monks, the thought occurred to King Yama: 'Those who did
evil actions in the world are tortured in these many ways. O that I
might gain the human state! And that a Tathāgata — worthy &
rightly self-awakened — might arise in the world! And that I might
attend to that Tathāgata! And that he might teach me the Dhamma!
And that I might understand his Dhamma!'
"I tell you this, monks, not from having heard it from another
contemplative or brahman. On the contrary, I tell you this just as
I have known for myself, seen for myself, understood for
myself."
That is what the Blessed One said. Having said that, the One
Well-gone, the Teacher, said further: