English
English version: Their suffering was such, and those who are unkind harmed each other with extreme cruelty. The Buddha told the Bhikshus (monks): 'That King Virudhaka (meaning 'increasing'), recklessly committed evil deeds, and his sins were so great that after seven days, there would be hellfire to burn him. This is the retribution for committing sins in this life, to be received in this life.' The prophecy reported by the Great Historian was the same as what the Buddha said. The king was terrified, so he boarded a ship and went to sea, hoping to escape the disaster, and stayed in the sea. When the seven days were up, natural fire arose from the sea, burning the ship and the king, and everything was reduced to ashes in an instant. The World Honored One, pitying those suffering women, used his divine power to shake the Violet Azure Palace of the Trayastrimsa Heaven (meaning 'Thirty-three Heavens'). Śakra (meaning 'Lord of Gods') and his consorts, Sūryā (meaning 'Sun'), and countless devas (gods) each brought celestial garments and descended together to cover the suffering women. The Buddha spoke the following verse for the women: 'What you benevolent ones see with your own eyes, the changes happening now, end the old karma and do not create new karma, so that you may be liberated for a long time in the future.' After the Buddha finished reciting the verse, he further expounded the Dharma for them. Those who came to observe, including devas, Nāgas (dragon deities), ghosts and spirits, Asuras (demigods), Garudas (mythical birds), Kiṃnaras (celestial musicians), Mahoragas (great serpents), Brāhmaṇas (priests), laypeople, elders, and the people, countless thousands heard what the Buddha said. Five hundred Bhikshus exhausted their afflictions and were liberated in mind; five hundred Brāhmaṇas and other people present, seeing the pain of the country being desolate and destroyed, renounced their homes to follow the path and all became Śrāmaṇas (ascetics); five hundred devas attained the Dharma-kṣānti (acceptance of the truth that phenomena do not arise); two hundred Asuras and a thousand Nāga kings all aroused the unsurpassed bodhicitta (mind of enlightenment); those naked men and women in ditches and pits were reborn in the Trayastrimsa Heaven after their lives ended; fifteen hundred people attained the Path; a thousand people attained the Anāgāmin (non-returning) stage. After the Buddha spoke these words, everyone heard them, bowed their heads, and retreated. 'The Sutra of King Virudhaka Spoken by the Buddha' --------------------------------------------------------------------------------