English
He there experiences painful, sharp, harsh, bitter feelings, and does not die until that evil kamma is exhausted. There comes a time, O monks, when, after a long, long period, the eastern door of that great hell opens. He runs there with swift speed. As he runs with swift speed, his skin burns, his hide burns, his flesh burns, his sinews burn, his bones smoke, he is utterly consumed, just like that. And when, O monks, he has gone far, then that door closes. He there experiences painful, sharp, harsh, bitter feelings, and does not die until that evil kamma is exhausted. There comes a time, O monks, when, after a long, long period, the western door of that great hell opens... the northern door opens... the southern door opens. He runs there with swift speed. As he runs with swift speed, his skin burns, his hide burns, his flesh burns, his sinews burn, his bones smoke, he is utterly consumed, just like that. And when, O monks, he has gone far, then that door closes. He there experiences painful, sharp, harsh, bitter feelings, and does not die until that evil deed is exhausted. There comes a time, monks, when sometimes, after a long period, the eastern gate of that great hell is opened. He runs there with swift speed. As he runs with swift speed, his skin burns, his hide burns, his flesh burns, his sinews burn, his bones too are reduced to smoke, he is lifted up just like that. He exits through that gate. And immediately after that great hell, monks, there is a great hell of excrement, joined together. He falls into it. And in that hell of excrement, monks, needle-mouthed creatures pierce the skin, having pierced the skin, they pierce the hide, having pierced the hide, they pierce the flesh, having pierced the flesh, they pierce the sinews, having pierced the sinews, they pierce the bone, having pierced the bone, they eat the bone marrow. He there experiences painful, sharp, harsh, bitter feelings, and does not die until that evil deed is exhausted. And immediately after that hell of excrement, monks, there is a great hell of hot ashes, joined together. He falls into it. He there experiences painful, sharp, harsh, bitter feelings, and does not die until that evil deed is exhausted. And immediately after that hell of hot ashes, monks, there is a great silk-cotton forest, joined together, risen up a league high, with sixteen-finger-long thorns, blazing, burning, glowing. There they make him climb up and make him climb down. He there experiences painful, sharp, harsh, bitter feelings, and does not die until that evil deed is exhausted. And immediately after that silk-cotton forest, monks, there is a great sword-leaf forest, joined together. He enters there. Its leaves, stirred by the wind, falling, cut off his hands, cut off his feet, cut off his hands and feet, cut off his ears, cut off his his nose, cut off his ears and nose. He experiences there painful, sharp, harsh, bitter feelings, and does not die until that evil deed is exhausted. And, monks, immediately after that Sword-Leaf Forest, there is a great river of caustic water. He falls into it. He is carried there downstream, he is carried upstream, he is carried downstream and upstream. He experiences there painful, sharp, harsh, bitter feelings, and does not die until that evil deed is exhausted. Then, monks, the hell-wardens, having pulled him out with a hook, and set him on dry ground, say to him: ‘Hey, man, what do you wish for?’ He says: ‘I am hungry, sirs.’ Then, monks, the hell-wardens, having opened his mouth with a red-hot iron hook, throw into his mouth a burning, blazing, glowing, red-hot iron ball, burning, blazing, glowing. It burns his lips, it burns his mouth, it burns his throat, it burns his chest, and carrying his intestines and entrails, it exits from below. He experiences there painful, sharp, harsh, bitter feelings, and does not die until that evil deed is exhausted. Then, monks, the hell-wardens say to him: ‘Hey, man, what do you wish for?’ He says: ‘I am thirsty, sirs.’ Then, monks, the hell-wardens, having opened his mouth with a red-hot iron hook, pour into his mouth burning, blazing, glowing, molten copper, burning, blazing, glowing. It his It burns the lips, it burns the mouth, it burns the throat, it burns the chest, taking the intestines and mesentery, it comes out from the lower part. There he experiences painful, sharp, harsh, bitter feelings, and he does not die then, until that evil kamma is exhausted. Him, monks, the hell-guards throw back into the great hell. Formerly, monks, it occurred to King Yama: ‘Indeed, sirs, those who do evil, unwholesome deeds in the world, they are subjected to such various kinds of tortures. Oh, if only I could obtain human existence! And a Tathāgata, an Arahant, a Perfectly Self-Awakened One, would arise in the world. And I would attend upon that Blessed One. And that Blessed One would teach me the Dhamma. And I would understand the Dhamma of that Blessed One.’ This, monks, I do not say having heard it from another ascetic or brahmin, but what has been personally known, personally seen, personally understood, that alone I say.” This the Blessed One said. Having said this, the Fortunate One, the Teacher, further said this – Those urged by the divine messengers, those young men who are heedless; they grieve for a long time, those men who go to a lower body. But those who, by the divine messengers, are calm, good people here; urged, they are not heedless, in the noble Dhamma, ever. Having seen danger in clinging, which causes birth and death; without clinging, they are liberated, in the destruction of birth and death. They, having attained security, are happy, extinguished in this very life; gone beyond all enmity and fear, they have transcended all suffering. The Discourse on the Divine Messengers, the tenth, is finished. The Chapter on Emptiness, the third, is finished. Its summary – Emptiness is twofold, wondrous Dhamma, full of wonders; Aciravata, the earth, the people, the name, Anuruddha, defilements; The Fool, the Wise, and the Divine Messenger – these are ten.