AN 3.36

Devadūtasutta

“Tīṇimāni, bhikkhave, devadūtāni. Katamāni tīṇi? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco kāyena duccaritaṁ carati, vācāya duccaritaṁ carati, manasā duccaritaṁ carati. So kāyena duccaritaṁ caritvā, vācāya duccaritaṁ caritvā, manasā duccaritaṁ caritvā kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ nirayaṁ upapajjati. Tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, nirayapālā nānābāhāsu gahetvā yamassa rañño dassenti: ‘ayaṁ, deva, puriso amatteyyo apetteyyo asāmañño abrahmañño, na kule jeṭṭhāpacāyī. Imassa devo daṇḍaṁ paṇetū’ti.

Messengers of the Gods

“There are, mendicants, these three messengers of the gods. What three? Firstly, someone does bad things by way of body, speech, and mind. When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell. The wardens of hell take them by the arms and present them to King Yama, saying, ‘Your Majesty, this person did not pay due respect to their mother and father, ascetics and brahmins, or honor the elders in the family. May Your Majesty punish them!’

Tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, yamo rājā paṭhamaṁ devadūtaṁ samanuyuñjati samanugāhati samanubhāsati: ‘ambho, purisa, na tvaṁ addasa manussesu paṭhamaṁ devadūtaṁ pātubhūtan’ti? So evamāha: ‘nāddasaṁ, bhante’ti.

King Yama pursues, presses, and grills them about the first messenger of the gods: ‘My man, did you not see the first messenger of the gods that appeared among human beings?’ They say, ‘I saw nothing, sir.’

Tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, yamo rājā evamāha: ‘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? So evamāha: ‘addasaṁ, bhante’ti.

King Yama says to them, ‘My man, 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?’ They say, ‘I saw that, sir.’

Tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, yamo rājā evamāha: ‘ambho, purisa, tassa te viññussa sato mahallakassa na etadahosi— ahampi khomhi jarādhammo jaraṁ anatīto, handāhaṁ kalyāṇaṁ karomi, kāyena vācāya manasā’ti? So evamāha: ‘nāsakkhissaṁ, bhante. Pamādassaṁ, bhante’ti.

King Yama says to them, ‘My man, did it not occur to you—being sensible and mature— “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”?’ They say, ‘I couldn’t, sir. I was negligent.’

Tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, yamo rājā evamāha: ‘ambho, purisa, pamādatāya na kalyāṇamakāsi kāyena vācāya manasā. Taggha tvaṁ, ambho purisa, tathā karissanti yathā taṁ pamattaṁ. 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; atha kho tayāvetaṁ pāpakammaṁ kataṁ, tvaññevetassa vipākaṁ paṭisaṁvedissasī’ti.

King Yama says to them, ‘My man, because you were negligent, you didn’t do good by way of body, speech, and mind. Well, they’ll definitely punish you to fit your negligence. 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. 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: ‘ambho purisa, na tvaṁ addasa manussesu dutiyaṁ devadūtaṁ pātubhūtan’ti? So evamāha: ‘nāddasaṁ, bhante’ti. Tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, yamo rājā evamāha: ‘ambho purisa, na tvaṁ addasa manussesu itthiṁ vā purisaṁ vā ābādhikaṁ dukkhitaṁ bāḷhagilānaṁ, sake muttakarīse palipannaṁ semānaṁ, aññehi vuṭṭhāpiyamānaṁ, aññehi saṁvesiyamānan’ti? So evamāha: ‘addasaṁ, bhante’ti.

King Yama grills them about the second messenger of the gods: ‘My man, did you not see the second messenger of the gods that appeared among human beings?’ They say, ‘I saw nothing, sir.’ King Yama says to them, ‘My man, 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?’ They say, ‘I saw that, sir.’

Tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, yamo rājā evamāha: ‘ambho purisa, tassa te viññussa sato mahallakassa na etadahosi: “ahampi khomhi byādhidhammo byādhiṁ anatīto, handāhaṁ kalyāṇaṁ karomi kāyena vācāya manasā”’ti? So evamāha: ‘nāsakkhissaṁ, bhante. Pamādassaṁ, bhante’ti.

King Yama says to them, ‘My man, did it not occur to you—being sensible and mature— “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”?’ They say, ‘I couldn’t, sir. I was negligent.’

Tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, yamo rājā evamāha: ‘ambho purisa, pamādatāya na kalyāṇamakāsi kāyena vācāya manasā. Taggha tvaṁ, ambho purisa, tathā karissanti yathā taṁ pamattaṁ. 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; atha kho tayāvetaṁ pāpakammaṁ kataṁ. Tvaññevetassa vipākaṁ paṭisaṁvedissasī’ti.

King Yama says to them, ‘My man, because you were negligent, you didn’t do good by way of body, speech, and mind. Well, they’ll definitely punish you to fit your negligence. 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. 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: ‘ambho purisa, na tvaṁ addasa manussesu tatiyaṁ devadūtaṁ pātubhūtan’ti? So evamāha: ‘nāddasaṁ, bhante’ti.

King Yama grills them about the third messenger of the gods: ‘My man, did you not see the third messenger of the gods that appeared among human beings?’ They say, ‘I saw nothing, sir.’

Tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, yamo rājā evamāha: ‘ambho purisa, na tvaṁ addasa manussesu itthiṁ vā purisaṁ vā ekāhamataṁ vā dvīhamataṁ vā tīhamataṁ vā uddhumātakaṁ vinīlakaṁ vipubbakajātan’ti? So evamāha: ‘addasaṁ, bhante’ti.

King Yama says to them, ‘My man, did you not see among human beings a woman or a man, dead for one, two, or three days, bloated, livid, and festering?’ They say, ‘I saw that, sir.’

Tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, yamo rājā evamāha: ‘ambho purisa, tassa te viññussa sato mahallakassa na etadahosi— ahampi khomhi maraṇadhammo maraṇaṁ anatīto, handāhaṁ kalyāṇaṁ karomi kāyena vācāya manasā’ti? So evamāha: ‘nāsakkhissaṁ, bhante. Pamādassaṁ, bhante’ti.

King Yama says to them, ‘My man, did it not occur to you—being sensible and mature— “I, too, am liable to die. I’m not exempt from death. I’d better do good by way of body, speech, and mind”?’ They say, ‘I couldn’t, sir. I was negligent.’

Tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, yamo rājā evamāha: ‘ambho purisa, pamādatāya na kalyāṇamakāsi kāyena vācāya manasā. Taggha tvaṁ, ambho purisa, tathā karissanti yathā taṁ pamattaṁ. 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; atha kho tayāvetaṁ pāpakammaṁ kataṁ. Tvaññevetassa vipākaṁ paṭisaṁvedissasī’”ti.

King Yama says to them, ‘My man, because you were negligent, you didn’t do good by way of body, speech, and mind. Well, they’ll definitely punish you to fit your negligence. 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. 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. Tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, nirayapālā pañcavidhabandhanaṁ nāma kāraṇaṁ karonti. Tattaṁ ayokhilaṁ hatthe gamenti. Tattaṁ ayokhilaṁ dutiyasmiṁ hatthe gamenti. Tattaṁ ayokhilaṁ pāde gamenti. Tattaṁ ayokhilaṁ dutiyasmiṁ pāde gamenti. Tattaṁ ayokhilaṁ majjhe urasmiṁ gamenti. So tattha dukkhā tibbā kharā kaṭukā vedanā vediyati, na ca tāva kālaṁ karoti yāva na taṁ pāpakammaṁ byantīhoti.

After grilling them about the third messenger of the gods, King Yama falls silent. The wardens of hell punish them with the five-fold crucifixion. They drive red-hot stakes through the hands and feet, and another in the middle of the chest. 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. So tattha dukkhā tibbā kharā kaṭukā vedanā vediyati, na ca tāva kālaṁ karoti yāva na taṁ pāpakammaṁ byantīhoti.

The wardens of hell throw them down and hack them with axes. …

Tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, nirayapālā uddhampādaṁ adhosiraṁ gahetvā vāsīhi tacchanti …pe… tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, nirayapālā rathe yojetvā ādittāya bhūmiyā sampajjalitāya sajotibhūtāya sārentipi paccāsārentipi …pe… tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, nirayapālā mahantaṁ aṅgārapabbataṁ ādittaṁ sampajjalitaṁ sajotibhūtaṁ āropentipi oropentipi …pe… tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, nirayapālā uddhampādaṁ adhosiraṁ gahetvā tattāya lohakumbhiyā pakkhipanti, ādittāya sampajjalitāya sajotibhūtāya. (…) So tattha pheṇuddehakaṁ paccamāno sakimpi uddhaṁ gacchati, sakimpi adho gacchati, sakimpi tiriyaṁ gacchati. So tattha dukkhā tibbā kharā kaṭukā vedanā vediyati, na ca tāva kālaṁ karoti yāva na taṁ pāpakammaṁ byantīhoti. Tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, nirayapālā mahāniraye pakkhipanti. So kho pana, bhikkhave, mahānirayo—

They hang them upside-down and hack them with hatchets. … They harness them to a chariot, and drive them back and forth across burning ground, blazing and glowing. … They make them climb up and down a big mountain of burning coals, blazing and glowing. … The wardens of hell turn them upside down and throw them in a red-hot copper pot, burning, blazing, and glowing. There they’re seared in boiling scum, and they’re swept up and down and round and round. And there they suffer painful, sharp, severe, acute feelings—but they don’t die until that bad deed is eliminated. The wardens of hell toss them into the Great Hell. Now, about that Great Hell:

Catukkaṇṇo catudvāro, vibhatto bhāgaso mito; Ayopākārapariyanto, ayasā paṭikujjito.

‘Four are its corners, four its doors, neatly divided section by section. Surrounded by an iron wall, of iron is its roof.

Tassa ayomayā bhūmi, Jalitā tejasā yutā; Samantā yojanasataṁ, Pharitvā tiṭṭhati sabbadāti.

The ground is even made of iron, it burns with fierce fire. The heat forever radiates a hundred leagues around.’

Bhūtapubbaṁ, bhikkhave, yamassa rañño etadahosi: ‘ye kira, bho, loke pāpakāni kammāni karonti te evarūpā vividhā kammakāraṇā karīyanti. Aho vatāhaṁ manussattaṁ labheyyaṁ, tathāgato ca loke uppajjeyya arahaṁ sammāsambuddho, tañcāhaṁ bhagavantaṁ payirupāseyyaṁ. So ca me bhagavā dhammaṁ deseyya, tassa cāhaṁ bhagavato dhammaṁ ājāneyyan’ti. 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.

Once upon a time, King Yama thought, ‘Those who do such bad deeds in the world receive these many different punishments. 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! Let that Buddha teach me Dhamma, so that I may understand his teaching!’ 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, ye pamajjanti māṇavā; Te dīgharattaṁ socanti, hīnakāyūpagā narā.

When warned by the gods’ messengers, those sons of Manu who are negligent sorrow for a long time when they go to that wretched place.

Ye ca kho devadūtehi, santo sappurisā idha; Coditā nappamajjanti, ariyadhamme kudācanaṁ.

When warned by the gods’ messengers, the good and true persons here never neglect the teaching of the Noble One.

Upādāne bhayaṁ disvā, jātimaraṇasambhave; Anupādā vimuccanti, jātimaraṇasaṅkhaye.

Seeing the danger in grasping, the origin of birth and death, the unattached are freed with the ending of birth and death.

Te appamattā sukhino, diṭṭhadhammābhinibbutā; Sabbaverabhayātītā, sabbadukkhaṁ upaccagun”ti.

Happy, they’ve come to a safe place, quenched in this very life. They’ve gone beyond all enmities and fears, and risen above all suffering.”