sutta » an » an3 » Aṅguttara Nikāya 3.36

Devadūtasutta

Messengers of the Gods

“Tīṇimāni, bhikkhave, devadūtāni.
“There are, mendicants, these three messengers of the gods.

Katamāni tīṇi?
What three?

Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco kāyena duccaritaṁ carati, vācāya duccaritaṁ carati, manasā duccaritaṁ carati.
Firstly, someone does bad things by way of body, speech, and mind.

So kāyena duccaritaṁ caritvā, vācāya duccaritaṁ caritvā, manasā duccaritaṁ caritvā kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ nirayaṁ upapajjati.
When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell.

Tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, nirayapālā nānābāhāsu gahetvā yamassa rañño dassenti:
The wardens of hell take them by the arms and present them to King Yama, saying:

‘ayaṁ, deva, puriso amatteyyo apetteyyo asāmañño abrahmañño, na kule jeṭṭhāpacāyī.
‘Your Majesty, this person did not pay due respect to their mother and father, ascetics and brahmins, or honor the elders in the family.

Imassa devo daṇḍaṁ paṇetū’ti.
May Your Majesty punish them!’

Tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, yamo rājā paṭhamaṁ devadūtaṁ samanuyuñjati samanugāhati samanubhāsati:
Then King Yama pursues, presses, and grills them about the first messenger of the gods:

‘ambho, purisa, na tvaṁ addasa manussesu paṭhamaṁ devadūtaṁ pātubhūtan’ti?
‘Mister, did you not see the first messenger of the gods that appeared among human beings?’

So evamāha:
They say,

‘nāddasaṁ, bhante’ti.
‘I saw nothing, sir.’

Tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, yamo rājā evamāha:
King Yama says to them,

‘ambho purisa, na tvaṁ addasa manussesu itthiṁ vā purisaṁ vā āsītikaṁ vā nāvutikaṁ vā vassasatikaṁ vā jātiyā jiṇṇaṁ gopānasivaṅkaṁ bhoggaṁ daṇḍaparāyaṇaṁ pavedhamānaṁ gacchantaṁ āturaṁ gatayobbanaṁ khaṇḍadantaṁ palitakesaṁ vilūnaṁ khallitasiraṁ valitaṁ tilakāhatagattan’ti?
‘Mister, did you not see among human beings an elderly woman or a man—eighty, ninety, or a hundred years old—bent double, crooked, leaning on a staff, trembling as they walk, ailing, past their prime, with teeth broken, hair grey and scanty or bald, skin wrinkled, and limbs blotchy?’

So evamāha:
They say,

‘addasaṁ, bhante’ti.
‘I saw that, sir.’

Tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, yamo rājā evamāha:
King Yama says to them,

‘ambho, purisa, tassa te viññussa sato mahallakassa na etadahosi—
‘Mister, did it not occur to you—being sensible and mature—

ahampi khomhi jarādhammo jaraṁ anatīto, handāhaṁ kalyāṇaṁ karomi, kāyena vācāya manasā’ti?
“I, too, am liable to grow old. I’m not exempt from old age. I’d better do good by way of body, speech, and mind”?’

So evamāha:
They say,

‘nāsakkhissaṁ, bhante. Pamādassaṁ, bhante’ti.
‘I couldn’t, sir. I was negligent.’

Tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, yamo rājā evamāha:
King Yama says to them,

‘ambho, purisa, pamādatāya na kalyāṇamakāsi kāyena vācāya manasā.
‘Mister, because you were negligent, you didn’t do good by way of body, speech, and mind.

Taggha tvaṁ, ambho purisa, tathā karissanti yathā taṁ pamattaṁ.
Indeed, they’ll definitely punish you to fit your negligence.

Taṁ kho pana te etaṁ pāpakammaṁ neva mātarā kataṁ, na pitarā kataṁ, na bhātarā kataṁ, na bhaginiyā kataṁ, na mittāmaccehi kataṁ, na ñātisālohitehi kataṁ, na devatāhi kataṁ, na samaṇabrāhmaṇehi kataṁ;
That bad deed wasn’t done by your mother, father, brother, or sister. It wasn’t done by friends and colleagues, by relatives and kin, by the deities, or by ascetics and brahmins.

atha kho tayāvetaṁ pāpakammaṁ kataṁ, tvaññevetassa vipākaṁ paṭisaṁvedissasī’ti.
That bad deed was done by you alone, and you alone will experience the result.’

Tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, yamo rājā paṭhamaṁ devadūtaṁ samanuyuñjitvā samanugāhitvā samanubhāsitvā, dutiyaṁ devadūtaṁ samanuyuñjati samanugāhati samanubhāsati:
Then King Yama grills them about the second messenger of the gods:

‘ambho purisa, na tvaṁ addasa manussesu dutiyaṁ devadūtaṁ pātubhūtan’ti?
‘Mister, did you not see the second messenger of the gods that appeared among human beings?’

So evamāha:
They say,

‘nāddasaṁ, bhante’ti.
‘I saw nothing, sir.’

Tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, yamo rājā evamāha:
King Yama says to them,

‘ambho purisa, na tvaṁ addasa manussesu itthiṁ vā purisaṁ vā ābādhikaṁ dukkhitaṁ bāḷhagilānaṁ, sake muttakarīse palipannaṁ semānaṁ, aññehi vuṭṭhāpiyamānaṁ, aññehi saṁvesiyamānan’ti?
‘Mister, did you not see among human beings a woman or a man, sick, suffering, gravely ill, collapsed in their own urine and feces, being picked up by some and put down by others?’

So evamāha:
They say,

‘addasaṁ, bhante’ti.
‘I saw that, sir.’

Tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, yamo rājā evamāha:
King Yama says to them,

‘ambho purisa, tassa te viññussa sato mahallakassa na etadahosi:
‘Mister, did it not occur to you—being sensible and mature—

“ahampi khomhi byādhidhammo byādhiṁ anatīto, handāhaṁ kalyāṇaṁ karomi kāyena vācāya manasā”’ti?
“I, too, am liable to become sick. I’m not exempt from sickness. I’d better do good by way of body, speech, and mind”?’

So evamāha:
They say,

‘nāsakkhissaṁ, bhante. Pamādassaṁ, bhante’ti.
‘I couldn’t, sir. I was negligent.’

Tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, yamo rājā evamāha:
King Yama says to them,

‘ambho purisa, pamādatāya na kalyāṇamakāsi kāyena vācāya manasā.
‘Mister, because you were negligent, you didn’t do good by way of body, speech, and mind.

Taggha tvaṁ, ambho purisa, tathā karissanti yathā taṁ pamattaṁ.
Well, they’ll definitely punish you to fit your negligence.

Taṁ kho pana te etaṁ pāpakammaṁ neva mātarā kataṁ, na pitarā kataṁ, na bhātarā kataṁ, na bhaginiyā kataṁ, na mittāmaccehi kataṁ, na ñātisālohitehi kataṁ, na devatāhi kataṁ, na samaṇabrāhmaṇehi kataṁ;
That bad deed wasn’t done by your mother, father, brother, or sister. It wasn’t done by friends and colleagues, by relatives and kin, by the deities, or by ascetics and brahmins.

atha kho tayāvetaṁ pāpakammaṁ kataṁ. Tvaññevetassa vipākaṁ paṭisaṁvedissasī’ti.
That bad deed was done by you alone, and you alone will experience the result.’

Tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, yamo rājā dutiyaṁ devadūtaṁ samanuyuñjitvā samanugāhitvā samanubhāsitvā, tatiyaṁ devadūtaṁ samanuyuñjati samanugāhati samanubhāsati:
Then King Yama grills them about the third messenger of the gods:

‘ambho purisa, na tvaṁ addasa manussesu tatiyaṁ devadūtaṁ pātubhūtan’ti?
‘Mister, did you not see the third messenger of the gods that appeared among human beings?’

So evamāha:
They say,

‘nāddasaṁ, bhante’ti.
‘I saw nothing, sir.’

Tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, yamo rājā evamāha:
King Yama says to them,

‘ambho purisa, na tvaṁ addasa manussesu itthiṁ vā purisaṁ vā ekāhamataṁ vā dvīhamataṁ vā tīhamataṁ vā uddhumātakaṁ vinīlakaṁ vipubbakajātan’ti?
‘Mister, did you not see among human beings a woman or a man, dead for one, two, or three days, bloated, livid, and festering?’

So evamāha:
They say,

‘addasaṁ, bhante’ti.
‘I saw that, sir.’

Tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, yamo rājā evamāha:
King Yama says to them,

‘ambho purisa, tassa te viññussa sato mahallakassa na etadahosi—
‘Mister, did it not occur to you—being sensible and mature—

ahampi khomhi maraṇadhammo maraṇaṁ anatīto, handāhaṁ kalyāṇaṁ karomi kāyena vācāya manasā’ti?
“I, too, am liable to die. I’m not exempt from death. I’d better do good by way of body, speech, and mind”?’

So evamāha:
They say,

‘nāsakkhissaṁ, bhante. Pamādassaṁ, bhante’ti.
‘I couldn’t, sir. I was negligent.’

Tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, yamo rājā evamāha:
King Yama says to them,

‘ambho purisa, pamādatāya na kalyāṇamakāsi kāyena vācāya manasā.
‘Mister, because you were negligent, you didn’t do good by way of body, speech, and mind.

Taggha tvaṁ, ambho purisa, tathā karissanti yathā taṁ pamattaṁ.
Well, they’ll definitely punish you to fit your negligence.

Taṁ kho pana te etaṁ pāpakammaṁ neva mātarā kataṁ, na pitarā kataṁ, na bhātarā kataṁ, na bhaginiyā kataṁ, na mittāmaccehi kataṁ, na ñātisālohitehi kataṁ, na devatāhi kataṁ, na samaṇabrāhmaṇehi kataṁ;
That bad deed wasn’t done by your mother, father, brother, or sister. It wasn’t done by friends and colleagues, by relatives and kin, by the deities, or by ascetics and brahmins.

atha kho tayāvetaṁ pāpakammaṁ kataṁ. Tvaññevetassa vipākaṁ paṭisaṁvedissasī’”ti.
That bad deed was done by you alone, and you alone will experience the result.’

Tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, yamo rājā tatiyaṁ devadūtaṁ samanuyuñjitvā samanugāhitvā samanubhāsitvā tuṇhī hoti.
After grilling them about the third messenger of the gods, King Yama falls silent.

Tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, nirayapālā pañcavidhabandhanaṁ nāma kāraṇaṁ karonti.
The wardens of hell punish them with the five-fold crucifixion.

Tattaṁ ayokhilaṁ hatthe gamenti. Tattaṁ ayokhilaṁ dutiyasmiṁ hatthe gamenti. Tattaṁ ayokhilaṁ pāde gamenti. Tattaṁ ayokhilaṁ dutiyasmiṁ pāde gamenti. Tattaṁ ayokhilaṁ majjhe urasmiṁ gamenti.
They drive red-hot stakes through the hands and feet, and another in the middle of the chest.

So tattha dukkhā tibbā kharā kaṭukā vedanā vediyati, na ca tāva kālaṁ karoti yāva na taṁ pāpakammaṁ byantīhoti.
And there they suffer painful, sharp, severe, acute feelings—but they don’t die until that bad deed is eliminated.

Tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, nirayapālā saṁvesetvā kudhārīhi tacchanti.
The wardens of hell throw them down and hack them with axes. …

So tattha dukkhā tibbā kharā kaṭukā vedanā vediyati, na ca tāva kālaṁ karoti yāva na taṁ pāpakammaṁ byantīhoti.

Tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, nirayapālā uddhampādaṁ adhosiraṁ gahetvā vāsīhi tacchanti …pe…
They hang them upside-down and hack them with hatchets. …

tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, nirayapālā rathe yojetvā ādittāya bhūmiyā sampajjalitāya sajotibhūtāya sārentipi paccāsārentipi …pe…
They harness them to a chariot, and drive them back and forth across burning ground, blazing and glowing. …

tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, nirayapālā mahantaṁ aṅgārapabbataṁ ādittaṁ sampajjalitaṁ sajotibhūtaṁ āropentipi oropentipi …pe…
They make them climb up and down a huge mountain of burning coals, blazing and glowing. …

tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, nirayapālā uddhampādaṁ adhosiraṁ gahetvā tattāya lohakumbhiyā pakkhipanti, ādittāya sampajjalitāya sajotibhūtāya. (…)
The wardens of hell turn them upside down and throw them in a red-hot copper pot, burning, blazing, and glowing.

So tattha pheṇuddehakaṁ paccamāno sakimpi uddhaṁ gacchati, sakimpi adho gacchati, sakimpi tiriyaṁ gacchati.
There they’re seared in boiling scum, and they’re swept up and down and round and round.

So tattha dukkhā tibbā kharā kaṭukā vedanā vediyati, na ca tāva kālaṁ karoti yāva na taṁ pāpakammaṁ byantīhoti.
And there they suffer painful, sharp, severe, acute feelings—but they don’t die until that bad deed is eliminated.

Tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, nirayapālā mahāniraye pakkhipanti.
The wardens of hell toss them into the Great Hell.

So kho pana, bhikkhave, mahānirayo—
Now, about that Great Hell:

Catukkaṇṇo catudvāro,
‘Four are its corners, four its doors,

vibhatto bhāgaso mito;
neatly divided in equal parts.

Ayopākārapariyanto,
Surrounded by an iron wall,

ayasā paṭikujjito.
of iron is its roof.

Tassa ayomayā bhūmi,
The ground is even made of iron,

Jalitā tejasā yutā;
it burns with fierce fire.

Samantā yojanasataṁ,
The heat forever radiates

Pharitvā tiṭṭhati sabbadāti.
a hundred leagues around.’

Bhūtapubbaṁ, bhikkhave, yamassa rañño etadahosi:
Once upon a time, King Yama thought,

‘ye kira, bho, loke pāpakāni kammāni karonti te evarūpā vividhā kammakāraṇā karīyanti.
‘Those who do such bad deeds in the world receive these many different punishments.

Aho vatāhaṁ manussattaṁ labheyyaṁ, tathāgato ca loke uppajjeyya arahaṁ sammāsambuddho, tañcāhaṁ bhagavantaṁ payirupāseyyaṁ.
Oh, I hope I may be reborn as a human being! And that a Realized One—a perfected one, a fully awakened Buddha—arises in the world! And that I may pay homage to the Buddha!

So ca me bhagavā dhammaṁ deseyya, tassa cāhaṁ bhagavato dhammaṁ ājāneyyan’ti.
Then the Buddha can teach me Dhamma, so that I may understand his teaching.’

Taṁ kho panāhaṁ, bhikkhave, na aññassa samaṇassa vā brāhmaṇassa vā sutvā evaṁ vadāmi, api ca kho, bhikkhave, yadeva me sāmaṁ ñātaṁ sāmaṁ diṭṭhaṁ sāmaṁ viditaṁ tadevāhaṁ vadāmīti.
Now, I don’t say this because I’ve heard it from some other ascetic or brahmin. I only say it because I’ve known, seen, and realized it for myself.

Coditā devadūtehi,
When warned by the gods’ messengers,

ye pamajjanti māṇavā;
those people who are negligent

Te dīgharattaṁ socanti,
sorrow for a long time

hīnakāyūpagā narā.
when they go to that wretched place.

Ye ca kho devadūtehi,
When warned by the gods’ messengers,

santo sappurisā idha;
the good and true persons here,

Coditā nappamajjanti,
never neglect

ariyadhamme kudācanaṁ.
the teaching of the Noble One.

Upādāne bhayaṁ disvā,
Seeing the peril in grasping,

jātimaraṇasambhave;
the origin of birth and death,

Anupādā vimuccanti,
the unattached are freed

jātimaraṇasaṅkhaye.
with the ending of birth and death.

Te appamattā sukhino,
Happy, they’ve come to a safe place,

diṭṭhadhammābhinibbutā;
quenched in this very life.

Sabbaverabhayātītā,
They’ve gone beyond all threats and perils,

sabbadukkhaṁ upaccagun”ti.
and risen above all suffering.”

Chaṭṭhaṁ.