Other Translations: Deutsch
From: , ,
Sutta Nipāta 3.10 Sutta Nipāta 3.10Anthology of Discourses 3.10
Kokālikasutta KokālikaSN 6:10 contains a shorter, less graphic version of this sutta.With Kokālika
Evaṁ me sutaṁ—I have heard thatSo I have heard. This discourse occurs in shorter, and presumably earlier, versions in the Sagāthāvagga (SN 6.10) and the Aṅguttara (AN 10.89). A Chinese parallel is included in DA 30.
ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme. on one occasion the Blessed One was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery.At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery.
Atha kho kokāliko bhikkhu yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho kokāliko bhikkhu bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: Then the monk Kokālika1 went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, bowed down to him and sat to one side. As he was sitting there, he said to the Blessed One,Kokālika is a bhikkhu, or Buddhist monk; the texts normally refer to monks as “Ven. So-and-so,” and the story that follows explains why posterity withheld that honorific from him. According to SnA, this Kokālika was not the same Kokālika who was one of Devadatta’s followers—though it’s striking, if so, that both Kokālikas expressed the same mistrust of Sāriputta and Moggallāna in exactly the same words (see Cv VII.4.2). It’s also possible the two Kokālikas were the same person, who joined Devadatta’s schism during the interval this sutta leaves between his denunciation of Sāriputta and Moggallāna and the onset of his disease.Then the mendicant Kokālika went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and said to him,
“pāpicchā, bhante, sāriputtamoggallānā, pāpikānaṁ icchānaṁ vasaṁ gatā”ti. “Lord, Sāriputta & Moggallāna have evil desires. They have fallen under the sway of evil desires.”“Sir, Sāriputta and Moggallāna have corrupt wishes. They’ve fallen under the sway of corrupt wishes.”
Evaṁ vutte, bhagavā kokālikaṁ bhikkhuṁ etadavoca: When this was said, the Blessed One said to him,When this was said, the Buddha said to Kokālika,
“mā hevaṁ, kokālika, mā hevaṁ, kokālika. “Don’t say that, Kokālika. Don’t say that, Kolālika.“Don’t say that, Kokālika! Don’t say that, Kokālika!
Pasādehi, kokālika, sāriputtamoggallānesu cittaṁ. Make your mind confident in Sāriputta & Moggallāna.Have confidence in Sāriputta and Moggallāna,
Pesalā sāriputtamoggallānā”ti. They are admirable people.”they’re good monks.”
Dutiyampi kho …pe… A second time…For a second time …
tatiyampi kho kokāliko bhikkhu bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: A third time, the monk Kokālika said to the Blessed One,For a third time Kokālika said to the Buddha,
“kiñcāpi me, bhante, bhagavā saddhāyiko paccayiko, atha kho pāpicchāva sāriputtamoggallānā, pāpikānaṁ icchānaṁ vasaṁ gatā”ti. “Even though the lord Blessed One2 inspires conviction and faith in me, Sāriputta & Moggallāna have evil desires. They have fallen under the sway of evil desires.”An exaggerated form of address. See Ud 8:7, note 1.“Despite my faith and trust in the Buddha, Sāriputta and Moggallāna have corrupt wishes. They’ve fallen under the sway of corrupt wishes.”
Tatiyampi kho bhagavā kokālikaṁ bhikkhuṁ etadavoca: A third time, the Blessed One said to him,For a third time, the Buddha said to Kokālika,
“mā hevaṁ, kokālika, mā hevaṁ, kokālika. “Don’t say that, Kokālika. Don’t say that, Kolālika.“Don’t say that, Kokālika! Don’t say that, Kokālika!
Pasādehi, kokālika, sāriputtamoggallānesu cittaṁ. Make your mind confident in Sāriputta & Moggallāna.Have confidence in Sāriputta and Moggallāna,
Pesalā sāriputtamoggallānā”ti. They are admirable people.”they’re good monks.”
Atha kho kokāliko bhikkhu uṭṭhāyāsanā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā padakkhiṇaṁ katvā pakkāmi. Then the monk Kokālika, getting up from his seat, bowed down to the Blessed One, circumambulated him, keeping him to his right, and departed.Then Kokālika rose from his seat, bowed, and respectfully circled the Buddha, keeping him on his right, before leaving.
Acirappakkantassa ca kokālikassa bhikkhuno sāsapamattīhi piḷakāhi sabbo kāyo phuṭo ahosi; Then not long after he had departed, Kokālika’s whole body became covered with boils the size of mustard seeds.Not long after he left his body erupted with boils the size of mustard seeds.
sāsapamattiyo hutvā muggamattiyo ahesuṁ; muggamattiyo hutvā kaḷāyamattiyo ahesuṁ; kaḷāyamattiyo hutvā kolaṭṭhimattiyo ahesuṁ; kolaṭṭhimattiyo hutvā kolamattiyo ahesuṁ; kolamattiyo hutvā āmalakamattiyo ahesuṁ; āmalakamattiyo hutvā beḷuvasalāṭukamattiyo ahesuṁ; beḷuvasalāṭukamattiyo hutvā billamattiyo ahesuṁ; billamattiyo hutvā pabhijjiṁsu; pubbañca lohitañca pagghariṁsu. From the size of mustard seeds, they became the size of green gram. From the size of green gram, they became the size of black beans. From the size of black beans, they became the size of jujube pits. From the size of jujube pits, they became the size of jujube fruits. From the size of jujube fruits, they became the size of myrobalans. From the size of myrobalans, they became the size of unripe vilva fruits. From the size of unripe vilva fruits, they became the size of small jackfruits. When they were the size of small jackfruits, they burst. Blood and pus flowed out.The boils grew to the size of mung beans, then chickpeas, then jujube seeds, then jujubes, then myrobalans, then unripe wood-apples, then ripe wood-apples. Finally they burst open, and pus and blood oozed out.
Atha kho kokāliko bhikkhu tenevābādhena kālamakāsi. Then the monk Kokālika died of that diseaseThen the mendicant Kokālika died of that illness.
Kālaṅkato ca kokāliko bhikkhu padumaṁ nirayaṁ upapajji sāriputtamoggallānesu cittaṁ āghātetvā. and, having died, he reappeared in the Paduma hell for engendering hatred in his heart against Sāriputta & Moggallāna.He was reborn in the Pink Lotus hell because of his resentment for Sāriputta and Moggallāna. This discourse gives no fewer than three independent ways of counting the duration of the Pink Lotus (paduma) hell, plus a simile, plus a commentary. The key to reconciling the three numbers is to consider them numerologically rather than mathematically: simple numbers convey the basic meaning, which is expanded by multiplication. All three methods yield 512 to various powers of ten. 512 breaks down to 500 (= a large number) plus 12 (= months of the year), with the sense, “a long period of time”. In one case, 12 expands to 36 (= months of the year in past, present, and future); numerologically, such variations are different expressions of the same idea. The exact quantity of the power of ten varies, but each is a multiple of the other by 10 million (a crore or koṭi or abbuda). The result conveys the sense, “a super-expanded long period of time”.
Atha kho brahmā sahampati abhikkantāya rattiyā abhikkantavaṇṇo kevalakappaṁ jetavanaṁ obhāsetvā yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ aṭṭhāsi. Ekamantaṁ ṭhito kho brahmā sahampati bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: Then Brahmā Sahampati,3 in the far extreme of the night, his extreme radiance lighting up the entirety of Jeta’s Grove, went to the Blessed One. On arrival, having bowed down to him, he stood to one side. As he was standing there, he said to the Blessed One,See SN 6:1.Then, late at night, the glorious divinity Sahampati, lighting up the entire Jeta’s Grove, went up to the Buddha, bowed, stood to one side, and said to him,
“kokāliko, bhante, bhikkhu kālaṅkato; “Lord, the monk Kokālika has died“Sir, the mendicant Kokālika has passed away.
kālaṅkato ca, bhante, kokāliko bhikkhu padumaṁ nirayaṁ upapanno sāriputtamoggallānesu cittaṁ āghātetvā”ti. and, having died, has reappeared in the Paduma hell for engendering hatred in his heart against Sāriputta & Moggallāna.”He was reborn in the Pink Lotus hell because of his resentment for Sāriputta and Moggallāna.”
Idamavoca brahmā sahampati; That is what Brahmā Sahampati said.That is what the divinity Sahampati said.
idaṁ vatvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā padakkhiṇaṁ katvā tatthevantaradhāyi. Having said that, having bowed down, he circumambulated the Blessed One, keeping him to his right, and disappeared right there.Then he bowed and respectfully circled the Buddha, keeping him on his right, before vanishing right there.
Atha kho bhagavā tassā rattiyā accayena bhikkhū āmantesi: Then when the night had passed, the Blessed One addressed the monks,Then, when the night had passed, the Buddha told the mendicants all that had happened.
“imaṁ, bhikkhave, rattiṁ brahmā sahampati abhikkantāya rattiyā …pe… “Monks, last night Brahmā Sahampati, in the far extreme of the night, his extreme radiance lighting up the entirety of Jeta’s Grove, came to me. On arrival, having bowed down to me, he stood to one side. As he was standing there, he said to me, ‘Lord, the monk Kokālika has died and, having died, has reappeared in the Paduma hell for engendering hatred in his heart against Sāriputta & Moggallāna.’
idamavoca, bhikkhave, brahmā sahampati, idaṁ vatvā maṁ padakkhiṇaṁ katvā tatthevantaradhāyī”ti. That is what Brahmā Sahampati said. Having said that, having bowed down, he circumambulated me, keeping me to his right, and disappeared right there.”
Evaṁ vutte, aññataro bhikkhu bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: When this was said, a certain monk said to the Blessed One,When he said this, one of the mendicants said to the Buddha,
“kīvadīghaṁ nu kho, bhante, padume niraye āyuppamāṇan”ti? “Lord, how long is the measure of the lifespan in the Paduma hell?”“Sir, how long is the lifespan in the Pink Lotus hell?”
“Dīghaṁ kho, bhikkhu, padume niraye āyuppamāṇaṁ; “Long, monk, is the measure of the lifespan in the Paduma hell.“It’s long, mendicant.
taṁ na sukaraṁ saṅkhātuṁ ettakāni vassāni iti vā ettakāni vassasatāni iti vā ettakāni vassasahassāni iti vā ettakāni vassasatasahassāni iti vā”ti. It’s not easy to calculate ‘this many years’ or ‘this many hundreds of years’ or ‘this many thousands of years’ or ‘this many hundreds of thousands of years.’”It’s not easy to calculate how many years, how many hundreds or thousands or hundreds of thousands of years it lasts.”
“Sakkā pana, bhante, upamā kātun”ti? “But, lord, can a simile be made?”“But sir, is it possible to give a simile?”
“Sakkā, bhikkhū”ti bhagavā avoca: “It can, monk,” said the Blessed One.“It’s possible,” said the Buddha.
“Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, vīsatikhāriko kosalako tilavāho; tato puriso vassasatassa vassasatassa accayena ekamekaṁ tilaṁ uddhareyya. “Suppose that there were a twenty-measure Kosalan cartload of sesame seeds. From that, a man would remove a sesame seed every hundred years.4Reading vassa-satassa vassa-satassa with the Burmese edition. The Sri Lankan edition reads “every hundred years, every thousand years”; the Thai edition reads “every hundred years, every thousand years, every hundred thousand years.”“Suppose there was a Kosalan load of twenty packs of sesame seed. And at the end of every hundred years someone would remove a single seed from it. A sesame seed weighs about 0.002 grams (“Some Physical Properties of Sesame Seed”, T.Y. Tunde-Akintunde and B.O. Akintund). The “pack” (khāri, originally “donkey-load”) of the Arthaśāstra is about 150 kg (Olivelle King, Governance, and Law, appendix 2, pg. 458). Twenty packs would be 3 tons, which is reasonable for a “load” (vāha) drawn by a heavy bullock cart (Arthaśāsatra 2.19.33 reckons the vāha similarly at about 2 tons). This results in 1.5 billion seeds and 150 billion years. On the other hand, the Pali khāri is carried by a single person and must be closer to 20 kg (SN 3.11:2.1, SN 7.9:14.1, DN 3:2.4.7, Ud 6.2:2.1). That would make a “Kosalan load” of 400 kg, which is reasonable for a load drawn by a single horse. This results in 250 million seeds and 25 billion years. This number is interesting because it is similar to the modern cosmological estimate of the life of the Universe. Neither of these results, however, agrees very well with the other calculations in this Sutta. The correspondence is not in the result but the simple numbers: twenty packs each hundred years correspond to the twenty times ten of the hells.
Khippataraṁ kho so bhikkhu vīsatikhāriko kosalako tilavāho iminā upakkamena parikkhayaṁ pariyādānaṁ gaccheyya, na tveva eko abbudo nirayo. That twenty-measure Kosalan cartload of sesame seeds would come to an end in this manner more quickly than a single Abbuda [Swelling] hell.By this means the Kosalan load of twenty packs of sesame seed would run out faster than a single lifetime in the Abbuda hell. Different texts reckon the abbuda (Sanskrit arbuda) to different powers of ten. Most authorities, however, count it at 10 million, which must be the correct value here, as it ultimately yields the number 512 for the paduma. | Ten hells are listed in total, the names of which do not correspond with the 21 or 28 listed in Purāṇas, nor with the seven Jain hells, nor with the hells of MN 130. The commentary offers three explanations for the obscure names of these hells: they are numbers reflecting the duration spent in Avīci; or they are the cries uttered by those suffering there; or they are simply the cold hells.
Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, vīsati abbudā nirayā evameko nirabbudo nirayo. Like twenty Abbuda hells is one Nirabbuda [Free from Swelling] hell.Now, twenty lifetimes in the Abbuda hell equal one lifetime in the Nirabbuda hell. The Sanskrit nyarbuda (or nirbuda) is said, rather, to be ten times the arbuda. The expansion in a series of twenty is required to reach the final number of 512.
Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, vīsati nirabbudā nirayā evameko ababo nirayo. Like twenty Nirabbuda hells is one Ababa [Alas!] hell.Twenty lifetimes in the Nirabbuda hell equal one lifetime in the Ababa hell. Ababa, aṭaṭa, and ahaha appear to be onomatopoeic. The commentary says they are named for the laments of their victims. The parallel at DA 30 offers specific explanations for each, although the names sometimes differ from the Pali.
Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, vīsati ababā nirayā evameko aṭaṭo nirayo. Like twenty Ababa hells is one Aṭaṭa hell.Twenty lifetimes in the Ababa hell equal one lifetime in the Aṭaṭa hell.
Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, vīsati aṭaṭā nirayā evameko ahaho nirayo. Like twenty Aṭaṭa hells is one Ahaha hell.Twenty lifetimes in the Aṭaṭa hell equal one lifetime in the Ahaha hell.
Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, vīsati ahahā nirayā evameko kumudo nirayo. Like twenty Ahaha hells is one Kumuda [White Water Lily] hell.Twenty lifetimes in the Ahaha hell equal one lifetime in the Yellow Lotus hell.
Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, vīsati kumudā nirayā evameko sogandhiko nirayo. Like twenty Kumuda hells is one Sogandhika [Fragrant White Water Lily] hell.Twenty lifetimes in the Yellow Lotus hell equal one lifetime in the Fragrant Water Lily hell. The sogandhika is variously identified as blue or white.
Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, vīsati sogandhikā nirayā evameko uppalako nirayo. Like twenty Sogandhika hells is one Uppalaka [Blue Lotus] hell.Twenty lifetimes in the Fragrant Water Lily hell equal one lifetime in the Blue Water Lily hell.
Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, vīsati uppalakā nirayā evameko puṇḍarīko nirayo. Like twenty Uppalaka hells is one Puṇḍarīka [White Lotus] hell.Twenty lifetimes in the Blue Water Lily hell equal one lifetime in the White Lotus hell.
Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, vīsati puṇḍarīkā nirayā evameko padumo nirayo. Like twenty Puṇḍarīka hells is one Paduma [Red Lotus] hell.5The names of some of the worst hells are, perhaps deliberately, ironic. SnA claims these aren’t separate hells at all but simply different stretches of time within the single Avīci hell, though it offers no explanation or support for that claim.Twenty lifetimes in the White Lotus hell equal one lifetime in the Pink Lotus hell. By this calculation, the Pink Lotus lasts for 10⁷ × 20⁹ = 5.12 × 10¹⁸ years. The commentary supplies its own method, based on a very large abbuda of 10⁴². Nonetheless, this still yields a number in the same series, simply raised to a higher power of ten, namely 5.12 × 10⁵³.
Padumaṁ kho pana bhikkhu nirayaṁ kokāliko bhikkhu upapanno sāriputtamoggallānesu cittaṁ āghātetvā”ti. The monk Kokālika has reappeared in the Paduma hell, for engendering hatred in his heart against Sāriputta & Moggallāna.”The mendicant Kokālika has been reborn in the Pink Lotus hell because of his resentment for Sāriputta and Moggallāna.”
Idamavoca bhagavā. That is what the Blessed One said.That is what the Buddha said.
Idaṁ vatvāna sugato athāparaṁ etadavoca satthā: Having said that, the One Well-Gone, the Teacher, said further:Then the Holy One, the Teacher, went on to say:
“Purisassa hi jātassa, “Surely, when a person is born,“A person is born
kuṭhārī jāyate mukhe; an axe is born in his mouth,with an axe in their mouth.
Yāya chindati attānaṁ, with which he cuts himself—A fool cuts themselves with it
bālo dubbhāsitaṁ bhaṇaṁ. the fool saying a bad statement.when they say bad words.
Yo nindiyaṁ pasaṁsati, Whoever praises one deserving censureWhen you praise someone worthy of criticism,
Taṁ vā nindati yo pasaṁsiyo; or censures one deserving praise,or criticize someone worthy of praise,
Vicināti mukhena so kaliṁ, accumulates wickedness6 with his mouth,The word for wickedness, kali, is the same word used for a bad throw at dice—the image picked up in the following verse.you choose a losing hand with your own mouth:
Kalinā tena sukhaṁ na vindati. and in that wickedness finds no ease.you’ll never find happiness that way.
Appamatto ayaṁ kali, Next to nothing is the bad throwA losing hand at dice is a trivial thing,
Yo akkhesu dhanaparājayo; when one loses money at dice.if all you lose is your money
Sabbassāpi sahāpi attanā, But great is the bad throwand all you own, even yourself.
Ayameva mahattaro kali; when one gets angeredWhat’s a really terrible hand
Yo sugatesu manaṁ padosaye. at those well-gone.is to hate the holy ones.
Sataṁ sahassānaṁ nirabbudānaṁ, For one hundred thousand NirabbudasFor a hundred thousand times a hundred million, The commentary, followed by Bodhi and Norman, conjoins this line with the “thirty-six” of the next. But the expression is found in three other passages of the Sagāthāvagga, and in all three it stands as a separate line (SN 6.4:5.3, SN 1.32:14.3, SN 5.5:4.1). | Here, we take an abbuda as ten million and a nirabbuda as a hundred million.
Chattiṁsati pañca ca abbudāni; and thirty-six and five Abbudas,times five hundred and thirty-six times a thousand times ten million years Vanarata suggests that the “thousands” of the first line should be distributed to the second line as well (Bodhi, Numerical Discourses, note 626, p. 1678). This kind of distribution of terms is common in mathematics; for an example in Pali verse, see SN 6.6:5.1. Here, however, it provides a crucial key to interpretation and translation. But we need to go further: the singular “hundred” in the first line is distributed to the singulars 36 and 5 in the second, while the plural “thousands” is distributed to the plural abbudāni (“tens of millions”). Thus we read the distributed line here as chattiṁsati pañcasataṁ ca (five hundred plus thirty-six) sahassānaṁ abbudāni (“of thousands, tens of millions”). The juxtaposed numbers are multiplied. The duration of the Pink Lotus then works out as (100,000 × 100,000,000) × (536 × 1000 × 10,000,000) = 5.36 × 10²⁵ years.
Yamariyagarahī nirayaṁ upeti, one who maligns noble ones, goes to hell,a slanderer of noble ones goes to hell,
Vācaṁ manañca paṇidhāya pāpakaṁ. directing his words & heart toward evil.7The parallel version of this sutta at SN 6:10 ends at this point.having aimed bad words and thoughts at them. The parallels at SN 6.10 and AN 10.89 end here. The remainder was presumably added later.
Abhūtavādī nirayaṁ upeti, He goes to hell, the one who asserts what didn’t take place,A liar goes to hell,
Yo vāpi katvā na karomicāha; as does the one who, having done, says, ‘I didn’t.’as does one who denies what they did.
Ubhopi te pecca samā bhavanti, Both—low-acting people—there become equal:Both are equal in the hereafter,
Nihīnakammā manujā parattha. after death, in the place beyond.8This verse = Dhp 306, and is also found at Iti 48.those men of base deeds.
Yo appaduṭṭhassa narassa dussati, Whoever harasses an innocent man,Whoever wrongs a man who has done no wrong,
Suddhassa posassa anaṅgaṇassa; a man pure, without blemish:a pure man who has not a blemish,
Tameva bālaṁ pacceti pāpaṁ, The evil comes right back to the foolthe evil backfires on the fool,
Sukhumo rajo paṭivātaṁva khitto. like fine dust thrown against the wind.9This verse = Dhp 125.like fine dust thrown upwind.
Yo lobhaguṇe anuyutto, One devoted to the strings of greedOne addicted to the way of greed,
So vacasā paribhāsati aññe; slanders others with his words:abuses others with their speech,
Asaddho kadariyo avadaññū, faithless, stingy, miserly, mean,faithless, miserly, uncharitable,
Macchari pesuṇiyaṁ anuyutto. devoted to divisive tales.stingy, addicted to backbiting.
Mukhadugga vibhūta anariya, You with your hard road of a mouth, untrue, ignoble,Foul-mouthed, divisive, ignoble, I can’t find any evidence to support the commentary’s gloss of vibhūta as “liar”. I assume it is shorthand for vebhūtiya which is a synonym of pesuṇiya (DN 30:2.21.2 and DN 28:11.2).
Bhūnahu pāpaka dukkaṭakāri; destroyer of progress, evil, doer of wrong,a baby-killer, wicked, wrongdoer,
Purisanta kalī avajāta, lowest of men, wicked, degenerate:worst of men, cursed, base-born—
Mā bahubhāṇidha nerayikosi. Don’t speak a lot here. You are headed to hell.quiet now, for you are bound for hell. I can’t find any explanation for the shift to direct address in second person here. Perhaps these verses were inserted from a separate source.
Rajamākirasī ahitāya, You scatter dust to your harm.You stir up dust, causing harm, Norman and Bodhi both accept commentary’s kilesarajaṁ attani pakkhipasi, but this seems too narrow; their deeds harmed others too.
Sante garahasi kibbisakārī; You, an offender, malign the good,when you, sinner, malign the good.
Bahūni duccaritāni caritvā, and, having engaged in many sorts of bad conductHaving done many bad deeds,
Gacchasi kho papataṁ cirarattaṁ. are going for a long time to the pit.you’ll go to the pit for a long time.
Na hi nassati kassaci kammaṁ, For no one’s action is annihilated.For no one’s deeds are ever lost,
Eti hataṁ labhateva suvāmi; Surely its owner gets it back.they return to their owner.
Dukkhaṁ mando paraloke, An offender, the fool, sees suffering for himselfIn the next life that stupid sinner
Attani passati kibbisakārī. in the next world.sees suffering in themselves.
Ayosaṅkusamāhataṭṭhānaṁ, He goes to the place set with iron spikes,They approach the place of impalement,
Tiṇhadhāramayasūlamupeti; the sharp-bladed iron stake,with its iron spikes, sharp blades, and iron stakes.
Atha tattaayoguḷasannibhaṁ, where the food, as is fitting,Then there is the food, which appropriately,
Bhojanamatthi tathā patirūpaṁ. resembles a ball of heated iron.is like a red-hot iron ball.
Na hi vaggu vadanti vadantā, When they [the hell-wardens] speak, they don’t speak lovingly.For the speakers speak not sweetly, Commentary says the hell-keepers are the subject here, hell-dwellers the subject of the next line. But this seems forced and unnecessary. Those going to hell are screaming, not uttering sweet words.
Nābhijavanti na tāṇamupenti; They [the hell beings] can’t run away. They’re not going to shelter.they don’t hurry there, or find shelter.
Aṅgāre santhate sayanti, They lie on ashes strewn about.They lie upon a spread of coals,
Ginisampajjalitaṁ pavisanti. They enter a blazing mass of fire.they enter a blazing mass of fire. Read aggini-samaṁ jalitaṁ, as at Snp 3.10:22.2 below.
Jālena ca onahiyāna, Tying them up with nets,Wrapping them in a net,
Tattha hananti ayomayakuṭebhi; they [the hell-wardens] strike them with hammers made of iron.they strike them there with iron hammers.
Andhaṁva timisamāyanti, Truly, they go to a blind darknessThey come to blinding darkness,
Taṁ vitatañhi yathā mahikāyo. that spreads out like a fog.which spreads about them like a fog.
Atha lohamayaṁ pana kumbhiṁ, Then they enter a copper pot,Next they enter a copper pot,
Ginisampajjalitaṁ pavisanti; a blazing mass of fire,a blazing mass of fire.
Paccanti hi tāsu cirarattaṁ, in which they cook for a long, long time,There they roast for a long time,
Agginisamāsu samuppilavāte. bobbing up & down in a mass of fire.writhing in the masses of fire.
Atha pubbalohitamisse, Then in a mixture of pus & blood,Then the sinner roasts there
Tattha kiṁ paccati kibbisakārī; there the offender cooks.in a mixture of pus and blood.
Yaṁ yaṁ disakaṁ adhiseti, In whatever direction he leans to restNo matter where they settle,
Tattha kilissati samphusamāno. he festers at the touch.everything they touch there hurts them.
Puḷavāvasathe salilasmiṁ, In an ooze where worms live,The sinner roasts in
Tattha kiṁ paccati kibbisakārī; there the offender cooks,worm-infested water.
Gantuṁ na hi tīramapatthi, and there is no shore to which he can go,There’s not even a shore to go to,
Sabbasamā hi samantakapallā. for the cooking pots all around are all the same.for all around are the same kind of pots.
Asipattavanaṁ pana tiṇhaṁ, Then they enter the sharp sword-leaf forestThey enter the Sword-Leaf Forest,
Taṁ pavisanti samucchidagattā; where their limbs are cut off.so sharp they cut their body to pieces.
Jivhaṁ balisena gahetvā, Seizing them by the tongue with a hook,Having grabbed the tongue with a hook,
Ārajayārajayā vihananti. they [the hell-wardens] strike them, dragging them back & forth.they stab it, slashing back and forth.
Atha vetaraṇiṁ pana duggaṁ, Then they come to the Vettaraṇin,10 hard to cross,Vettaraṇin literally means “having a battle of twigs/canes.” SnA identifies it with the river of lye-water described at MN 130, which contains a similarly graphic account of hell.Then they approach the impassable Vetaraṇī River, The Vetaraṇī (also at SN 1.33:10.3) is featured in the later literature of the Brahmins (eg. Bhāgavata Purāṇa 5.26.22, Skanda Purāṇa 6.1.226.32) and Jains (Sūtrakṛtāṅga 1.5.1.8).
Tiṇhadhārakhuradhāramupenti; with sharp blades, razor blades,with its sharp blades, its razor blades.
Tattha mandā papatanti, and there they fall in, the fools,Dullards fall into it,
Pāpakarā pāpāni karitvā. evil-doers having done evil deeds.the wicked who have done wicked deeds.
Khādanti hi tattha rudante, There, while they wail,There dogs all brown and spotted,
Sāmā sabalā kākolagaṇā ca; voracious black & spotted dogs,and raven flocks, and greedy jackals
Soṇā siṅgālā paṭigiddhā, jackals, & flocks of ravens chew on them.devour them as they wail,
Kulalā vāyasā ca vitudanti. Vultures & crows pick at them.while hawks and crows attack them.
Kicchā vatayaṁ idha vutti, How hard, indeed, is this way of life thereHard, alas, is the life here
Yaṁ jano phusati kibbisakārī; that offending people come to see.11Reading passati with the Thai and Sri Lankan editions; the Burmese edition has phusati, “touch.”that sinners endure.
Tasmā idha jīvitasese, So, for the remainder of life here,That’s why for the rest of this life
Kiccakaro siyā naro na cappamajje. a person, heedful, should do his duty.a person ought do their duty without fail.
Te gaṇitā vidūhi tilavāhā, Those loads of sesame seedsExperts have counted the loads of sesame The commentator says that these two verses are absent from the old “Great Commentary”, which was his main source.
Ye padume niraye upanītā; compared to the Paduma hellas compared to the Pink Lotus hell.
Nahutāni hi koṭiyo pañca bhavanti, have been calculated by those who know as five times ten thousand crores,12A crore is a large number that SnA calculates as ten million.For there are five times ten thousand times ten million, Instead of the abbuda we have here the koṭi, which is a more regular mathematical term for the same quantity, 10 million. The nahuta is variously reckoned, but its only other early Pali appearance is for a crowd size at Kd 1:22.8.2, where it is reasonably reckoned by the commentary as 10,000.
Dvādasa koṭisatāni punaññā. plus twelve times one hundred more.plus another twelve hundred times ten million years— The calculation here is (50,000 × 10,000,000) + (1200 × 10,000,000) = 5.12 × 10¹¹ years. Multiply this by ten million to equal the prose reckoning (Snp 3.10:8.11), and by another ten million to equal the previous verse reckoning (Snp 3.10:12.2).
Yāva dukhā nirayā idha vuttā, The length of the hells of suffering described hereas painful as life is said to be in hell,
Tatthapi tāva ciraṁ vasitabbaṁ; is how long [the hell-beings] will have to dwell there.that’s how long one must dwell there.
Tasmā sucipesalasādhuguṇesu, So when in the company of those who are pure, admirable, excellent,That’s why, for those who are pure, well-behaved, full of good qualities,
Vācaṁ manaṁ satataṁ parirakkhe”ti. one should constantly guard one’s words & heart.”one should always guard one’s speech and mind.”
Kokālikasuttaṁ dasamaṁ. The Kokālika Sutta, the tenth.vv. 657–678. See also: MN 45; MN 97; MN 130; MN 135; MN 136; SN 35:135; SN 42:8; AN 3:101; AN 4:111; AN 5:129; AN 8:7–8; AN 8:40; Dhp 306–319; Iti 18; Iti 20; Iti 30; Iti 32; Iti 64; Iti 70; Iti 81.