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may this be for his benefit.' 704. Immediately after the dedication, the result arose; 'I enjoy as I wish, like King Vessavaṇa.' 705. 'Hear this, O great king, O subduer of foes, enhancer of the realm. Of the world with its devas, the Buddha is called the foremost; Go for refuge to that Buddha, with your children and wife, O subduer of foes.' 706. 'By the Noble Eightfold Path, they touch the deathless state; Go for refuge to that Dhamma, with your children and wife, O subduer of foes.' 707. 'And four are on the path, and four are established in the fruit; This Sangha is upright, endowed with wisdom and virtue; Go for refuge to that Sangha, with your children and wife, O subduer of foes.' 708. 'Quickly abstain from taking life, avoid what is not given in the world; Be no drinker of intoxicants, and speak no lies, and be content with your own wife.' 709. 'You are my well-wisher, O yakkha, you are my benefactor, O deity; I will do your bidding, you are my teacher.' 710. 'I go for refuge to the Buddha, and to the unsurpassed Dhamma; And to the Sangha of the Lord of men, I go for refuge.' 711. 'I quickly abstain from taking life, I avoid what is not given in the world; I am no drinker of intoxicants, and I speak no lies, and I am content with my own wife.' 712. 'I scatter (like chaff) in a great wind, or in a swiftly flowing river; I vomit forth evil views, delighted in the teaching of the Buddhas.' Having said this, the good man, having ceased from evil views; Having paid homage to the Blessed One, the chief mounted the chariot. Arise, Revati, you of very evil conduct, with unbarred door, of no giving habit; We will take you where the wretched lament, the hell-beings afflicted with suffering. Having said this, Yama's messengers, those two great yakkhas with red eyes; Having taken Revati by each arm, they departed to the presence of the devas. Sun-colored, radiant, shining, a beautiful mansion, covered with golden nets; Whose is this mansion, crowded with people, shining like the rays of the sun? Groups of women, anointed with sandalwood essence, adorn the mansion on both sides; It appears like the color of the sun, who rejoices in the mansion, having attained heaven? In Bārāṇasī there was one named Nandiya, a lay follower, unselfish, a generous giver, eloquent; His is this mansion, crowded with people, shining like the rays of the sun. Groups of women, anointed with sandalwood essence, adorn the mansion on both sides; It appears like the color of the sun, he rejoices in the mansion, having attained heaven. I am Nandiya's wife, a householder, mistress of the entire household; I shall now delight in my husband's mansion, I do not wish to see hell. This is your hell, you of very evil conduct, merit was not done by you in the world of the living; For indeed, a stingy, angry, evil-doer, does not obtain companionship with those who go to heaven. What is this, indeed, feces and urine, impurity that is seen; What is this foul-smelling filth, what is this that blows about? This is named Saṃsavaka, a hundred men deep; Where for thousands of years, you will be cooked, Revati. What, indeed, by body, by speech, by mind, was evil done; By what (action) was this A pit was found, deep, a hundred men's height." 725. "Mendicants and brahmins, and other beggars too; You deceived with false speech, that evil was done by you. 726. "Therefore a pit was found, deep, a hundred men's height; There for thousands of years, you will burn, Revatī. 727. "They cut off hands, and also feet, they cut off ears, and also nose; And flocks of crows gather, come together and eat you, writhing." 728. "Please take me back, I will do much good; With giving, with righteous conduct, with restraint and self-control; Having done which, people are happy, and do not regret afterwards." 729. "Before you were heedless, now you lament; The result of deeds done by yourself, you will experience." 730. "Who, having gone from the deva-world to the human world, being asked, would tell me this: 'Give gifts to those who have laid down the rod, clothing, bedding, and food and drink; For a stingy, angry, wicked person does not attain companionship with those who go to heaven.' 731. "So I, having gone from here, and obtained human birth; Generous, endowed with virtue, will do much good; With giving, with righteous conduct, with restraint and self-control. 732. "And I will plant groves, and bridges in difficult places; And drinking places and wells, with a clear mind. 733. "On the fourteenth, the fifteenth, and the eighth of the fortnight; And the special fortnight, endowed with the eight factors. 734. "I will observe the Uposatha, always restrained in virtues; And I will not be heedless in giving, this has been seen by me myself." 735. Thus, as she lamented, writhing here and there; They threw her into the dreadful hell, feet up, head down. 736. "I was formerly stingy, a slanderer of mendicants and brahmins; And having deceived my husband with falsehood, I burn in dreadful hell." The Story of the Petī Revatī, the Fourth. 5. The Story of the Petī of the Sugarcane 737. "This sugarcane grove of mine a great [deed], a not-small fruit of merit arises; Now that is not for my enjoyment, tell me, venerable sir, of what is this the result? 738. I am afflicted, I am eaten, and I strive, I struggle to enjoy anything; I, with strength cut off, miserable, lament, Of what deed is this the result? 739. And I fall to the ground in distress, I roll about like a water-creature in the heat; And as I weep, tears flow from me, Tell me, venerable sir, of what is this the result? 740. Hungry, weary, and thirsty, Terrified, I find no pleasant comfort; I ask you this matter, venerable sir, How then might I obtain the enjoyment of sugarcane? 741. Formerly you yourself did a deed, Having been a human in a former birth; And I tell you this matter, Having heard it, you will understand this matter. 742. You were going along eating sugarcane, And a man followed behind you; And he, approaching you, spoke, But you said nothing to him. 743. And he begged you, who were not speaking, And said to you, 'Give me some sugarcane'; To him you gave the sugarcane from behind your back, Of that deed this is the result. 744. Go now and take it from behind your back, Having taken it, eat it as much as you wish; By that you will be pleased, Joyful, elated, and delighted. 745. Having gone, he took it from behind his back, Having taken it, he ate it as much as he wished; By that he was pleased, Joyful, elated, and delighted. The Story of the Sugarcane Ghost, the Fifth. 6. The Story of the Young Prince Ghost 746. There is a city named Sāvatthī, Facing the Himālaya; There were two princes there, Sons of a king, so I have heard. 747. Intoxicated by things that excite passion, Delighting in the taste of sensual pleasures; Present Not greedy for pleasures, they did not see the future. 748. They, fallen from humanity, went from here to the other world; Here they cry out, unseen, their own evil deeds of the past. 749. ‘Alas, when there were many offerings available, We could not make ourselves a refuge bringing happiness. 750. ‘What could be more evil than that, that we, fallen from royal lineage, Have arisen in the realm of ghosts, afflicted by hunger and thirst. 751. Having been masters here, they become masterless there; They wander, tormented by hunger and thirst, humans, high and low. 752. Knowing this danger, born of the intoxication of power; Abandoning the intoxication of power, a person becomes one who goes to heaven; Upon the body's breaking, the wise one, he arises in heaven. The Sixth Story of the Prince Ghost. 7. The Story of the Royal Son Ghost 753. Of deeds done in the past, the result torments the mind; In forms, sounds, tastes, scents, and delightful tangibles. 754. Dance, song, pleasure, play, having experienced them greatly; Having roamed in the park, entering Giribbaja. 755. He saw the sage Sunetta, self-controlled, composed; Of few wishes, endowed with shame, delighting in alms in his bowl. 756. Descending from the elephant's back, he said, "You are tired, sir"; Taking his bowl, the khattiya held it high. 757. Smashing the bowl on the ground, he departed, laughing; "I am the son of the gambler king, what will you do to me, monk?" 758. Of that harsh deed, the result was bitter; Which the royal son experienced, consigned to hell. 759. Six and eighty-four, and ninety years; He underwent intense suffering, in hell, having committed evil. 760. He was cooked face up, face down, left and right; And standing with feet upwards, the fool was cooked for a long time. 761. Many thousands of years, multitudes of tens of thousands and not; You suffered great pain, having committed evil in hell. 762. Such bitter suffering, for one who harms the harmless; Evil-doers endure, having insulted a virtuous sage. 763. There for many years, having experienced much pain; Afflicted by hunger and thirst, he became a ghost after passing away from there. 764. Knowing this danger, born of the intoxication of power; Abandoning the intoxication of power, one should practice humility. 765. Praised in this very life, is one who is respectful to the Buddhas; Upon the breaking of the body, the wise one, is reborn in heaven. The Story of the Prince's Ghost, the Seventh. 8. The Story of the Excrement-Eating Ghost 766. "Having emerged from the pit of excrement, who are you, wretched one, standing there? Undoubtedly an evil-doer, what do you believe?" 767. "I, venerable sir, am a ghost, a miserable one from the world of Yama; Having committed evil deeds, I came to the ghost world from here." 768. "What evil was done by body, speech, or mind? By the result of what karma, do you experience this suffering?" 769. "There was a resident with me, envious, jealous of families; Dwelling in my house, a miserly slanderer. 770.