{"id":"an3.36","title":"Messengers of the Gods","languageCodes":["en","pi"],"languageNotes":{"en":"Bhikkhu Sujato · CC0","pi":"Mahāsaṅgīti edition · SuttaCentral"},"chapters":[{"id":"an3.36","title":"Messengers of the Gods","units":[{"id":"an3.36:0","sourceIds":["an3.36:0.1","an3.36:0.2","an3.36:0.3"],"kind":"text","text":{"pi":"Aṅguttara Nikāya 3.36\n4. Devadūtavagga\nDevadūtasutta","en":"Numbered Discourses 3.36\n4. Messengers of the Gods\nMessengers of the Gods"}},{"id":"an3.36:1","sourceIds":["an3.36:1.1","an3.36:1.2","an3.36:1.3","an3.36:1.4","an3.36:1.5","an3.36:1.6","an3.36:1.7"],"kind":"text","text":{"pi":"“Tīṇimāni, bhikkhave, devadūtāni.\nKatamāni tīṇi?\nIdha, bhikkhave, ekacco kāyena duccaritaṁ carati, vācāya duccaritaṁ carati, manasā duccaritaṁ carati.\nSo kāyena duccaritaṁ caritvā, vācāya duccaritaṁ caritvā, manasā duccaritaṁ caritvā kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ nirayaṁ upapajjati.\nTamenaṁ, bhikkhave, nirayapālā nānābāhāsu gahetvā yamassa rañño dassenti:\n‘ayaṁ, deva, puriso amatteyyo apetteyyo asāmañño abrahmañño, na kule jeṭṭhāpacāyī.\nImassa devo daṇḍaṁ paṇetū’ti.","en":"“There are, mendicants, these three messengers of the gods.\nWhat three?\nFirstly, someone does bad things by way of body, speech, and mind.\nWhen their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell.\nThe wardens of hell take them by the arms and present them to King Yama, saying,\n‘Your Majesty, this person did not pay due respect to their mother and father, ascetics and brahmins, or honor the elders in the family.\nMay Your Majesty punish them!’"}},{"id":"an3.36:2","sourceIds":["an3.36:2.1","an3.36:2.2","an3.36:2.3","an3.36:2.4"],"kind":"text","text":{"pi":"Tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, yamo rājā paṭhamaṁ devadūtaṁ samanuyuñjati samanugāhati samanubhāsati:\n‘ambho, purisa, na tvaṁ addasa manussesu paṭhamaṁ devadūtaṁ pātubhūtan’ti?\nSo evamāha:\n‘nāddasaṁ, bhante’ti.","en":"King Yama pursues, presses, and grills them about the first messenger of the gods:\n‘My man, did you not see the first messenger of the gods that appeared among human beings?’\nThey say,\n‘I saw nothing, sir.’"}},{"id":"an3.36:3","sourceIds":["an3.36:3.1","an3.36:3.2","an3.36:3.3","an3.36:3.4"],"kind":"text","text":{"pi":"Tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, yamo rājā evamāha:\n‘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?\nSo evamāha:\n‘addasaṁ, bhante’ti.","en":"King Yama says to them,\n‘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?’\nThey say,\n‘I saw that, sir.’"}},{"id":"an3.36:4","sourceIds":["an3.36:4.1","an3.36:4.2","an3.36:4.3","an3.36:4.4","an3.36:4.5"],"kind":"text","text":{"pi":"Tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, yamo rājā evamāha:\n‘ambho, purisa, tassa te viññussa sato mahallakassa na etadahosi—\nahampi khomhi jarādhammo jaraṁ anatīto, handāhaṁ kalyāṇaṁ karomi, kāyena vācāya manasā’ti?\nSo evamāha:\n‘nāsakkhissaṁ, bhante. Pamādassaṁ, bhante’ti.","en":"King Yama says to them,\n‘My man, did it not occur to you—being sensible and mature—\n“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”?’\nThey say,\n‘I couldn’t, sir. I was negligent.’"}},{"id":"an3.36:5","sourceIds":["an3.36:5.1","an3.36:5.2","an3.36:5.3","an3.36:5.4","an3.36:5.5"],"kind":"text","text":{"pi":"Tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, yamo rājā evamāha:\n‘ambho, purisa, pamādatāya na kalyāṇamakāsi kāyena vācāya manasā.\nTaggha tvaṁ, ambho purisa, tathā karissanti yathā taṁ pamattaṁ.\nTaṁ 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;\natha kho tayāvetaṁ pāpakammaṁ kataṁ, tvaññevetassa vipākaṁ paṭisaṁvedissasī’ti.","en":"King Yama says to them,\n‘My man, because you were negligent, you didn’t do good by way of body, speech, and mind.\nWell, they’ll definitely punish you to fit your negligence.\nThat 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.\nThat bad deed was done by you alone, and you alone will experience the result.’"}},{"id":"an3.36:6","sourceIds":["an3.36:6.1","an3.36:6.2","an3.36:6.3","an3.36:6.4","an3.36:6.5","an3.36:6.6","an3.36:6.7","an3.36:6.8"],"kind":"text","text":{"pi":"Tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, yamo rājā paṭhamaṁ devadūtaṁ samanuyuñjitvā samanugāhitvā samanubhāsitvā, dutiyaṁ devadūtaṁ samanuyuñjati samanugāhati samanubhāsati:\n‘ambho purisa, na tvaṁ addasa manussesu dutiyaṁ devadūtaṁ pātubhūtan’ti?\nSo evamāha:\n‘nāddasaṁ, bhante’ti.\nTamenaṁ, bhikkhave, yamo rājā evamāha:\n‘ambho purisa, na tvaṁ addasa manussesu itthiṁ vā purisaṁ vā ābādhikaṁ dukkhitaṁ bāḷhagilānaṁ, sake muttakarīse palipannaṁ semānaṁ, aññehi vuṭṭhāpiyamānaṁ, aññehi saṁvesiyamānan’ti?\nSo evamāha:\n‘addasaṁ, bhante’ti.","en":"King Yama grills them about the second messenger of the gods:\n‘My man, did you not see the second messenger of the gods that appeared among human beings?’\nThey say,\n‘I saw nothing, sir.’\nKing Yama says to them,\n‘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?’\nThey say,\n‘I saw that, sir.’"}},{"id":"an3.36:7","sourceIds":["an3.36:7.1","an3.36:7.2","an3.36:7.3","an3.36:7.4","an3.36:7.5"],"kind":"text","text":{"pi":"Tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, yamo rājā evamāha:\n‘ambho purisa, tassa te viññussa sato mahallakassa na etadahosi:\n“ahampi khomhi byādhidhammo byādhiṁ anatīto, handāhaṁ kalyāṇaṁ karomi kāyena vācāya manasā”’ti?\nSo evamāha:\n‘nāsakkhissaṁ, bhante. Pamādassaṁ, bhante’ti.","en":"King Yama says to them,\n‘My man, did it not occur to you—being sensible and mature—\n“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”?’\nThey say,\n‘I couldn’t, sir. I was negligent.’"}},{"id":"an3.36:8","sourceIds":["an3.36:8.1","an3.36:8.2","an3.36:8.3","an3.36:8.4","an3.36:8.5"],"kind":"text","text":{"pi":"Tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, yamo rājā evamāha:\n‘ambho purisa, pamādatāya na kalyāṇamakāsi kāyena vācāya manasā.\nTaggha tvaṁ, ambho purisa, tathā karissanti yathā taṁ pamattaṁ.\nTaṁ 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;\natha kho tayāvetaṁ pāpakammaṁ kataṁ. Tvaññevetassa vipākaṁ paṭisaṁvedissasī’ti.","en":"King Yama says to them,\n‘My man, because you were negligent, you didn’t do good by way of body, speech, and mind.\nWell, they’ll definitely punish you to fit your negligence.\nThat 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.\nThat bad deed was done by you alone, and you alone will experience the result.’"}},{"id":"an3.36:9","sourceIds":["an3.36:9.1","an3.36:9.2","an3.36:9.3","an3.36:9.4"],"kind":"text","text":{"pi":"Tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, yamo rājā dutiyaṁ devadūtaṁ samanuyuñjitvā samanugāhitvā samanubhāsitvā, tatiyaṁ devadūtaṁ samanuyuñjati samanugāhati samanubhāsati:\n‘ambho purisa, na tvaṁ addasa manussesu tatiyaṁ devadūtaṁ pātubhūtan’ti?\nSo evamāha:\n‘nāddasaṁ, bhante’ti.","en":"King Yama grills them about the third messenger of the gods:\n‘My man, did you not see the third messenger of the gods that appeared among human beings?’\nThey say,\n‘I saw nothing, sir.’"}},{"id":"an3.36:10","sourceIds":["an3.36:10.1","an3.36:10.2","an3.36:10.3","an3.36:10.4"],"kind":"text","text":{"pi":"Tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, yamo rājā evamāha:\n‘ambho purisa, na tvaṁ addasa manussesu itthiṁ vā purisaṁ vā ekāhamataṁ vā dvīhamataṁ vā tīhamataṁ vā uddhumātakaṁ vinīlakaṁ vipubbakajātan’ti?\nSo evamāha:\n‘addasaṁ, bhante’ti.","en":"King Yama says to them,\n‘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?’\nThey say,\n‘I saw that, sir.’"}},{"id":"an3.36:11","sourceIds":["an3.36:11.1","an3.36:11.2","an3.36:11.3","an3.36:11.4","an3.36:11.5"],"kind":"text","text":{"pi":"Tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, yamo rājā evamāha:\n‘ambho purisa, tassa te viññussa sato mahallakassa na etadahosi—\nahampi khomhi maraṇadhammo maraṇaṁ anatīto, handāhaṁ kalyāṇaṁ karomi kāyena vācāya manasā’ti?\nSo evamāha:\n‘nāsakkhissaṁ, bhante. Pamādassaṁ, bhante’ti.","en":"King Yama says to them,\n‘My man, did it not occur to you—being sensible and mature—\n“I, too, am liable to die. I’m not exempt from death. I’d better do good by way of body, speech, and mind”?’\nThey say,\n‘I couldn’t, sir. I was negligent.’"}},{"id":"an3.36:12","sourceIds":["an3.36:12.1","an3.36:12.2","an3.36:12.3","an3.36:12.4","an3.36:12.5"],"kind":"text","text":{"pi":"Tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, yamo rājā evamāha:\n‘ambho purisa, pamādatāya na kalyāṇamakāsi kāyena vācāya manasā.\nTaggha tvaṁ, ambho purisa, tathā karissanti yathā taṁ pamattaṁ.\nTaṁ 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;\natha kho tayāvetaṁ pāpakammaṁ kataṁ. Tvaññevetassa vipākaṁ paṭisaṁvedissasī’”ti.","en":"King Yama says to them,\n‘My man, because you were negligent, you didn’t do good by way of body, speech, and mind.\nWell, they’ll definitely punish you to fit your negligence.\nThat 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.\nThat bad deed was done by you alone, and you alone will experience the result.’"}},{"id":"an3.36:13","sourceIds":["an3.36:13.1","an3.36:13.2","an3.36:13.3","an3.36:13.4"],"kind":"text","text":{"pi":"Tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, yamo rājā tatiyaṁ devadūtaṁ samanuyuñjitvā samanugāhitvā samanubhāsitvā tuṇhī hoti.\nTamenaṁ, bhikkhave, nirayapālā pañcavidhabandhanaṁ nāma kāraṇaṁ karonti.\nTattaṁ ayokhilaṁ hatthe gamenti. Tattaṁ ayokhilaṁ dutiyasmiṁ hatthe gamenti. Tattaṁ ayokhilaṁ pāde gamenti. Tattaṁ ayokhilaṁ dutiyasmiṁ pāde gamenti. Tattaṁ ayokhilaṁ majjhe urasmiṁ gamenti.\nSo tattha dukkhā tibbā kharā kaṭukā vedanā vediyati, na ca tāva kālaṁ karoti yāva na taṁ pāpakammaṁ byantīhoti.","en":"After grilling them about the third messenger of the gods, King Yama falls silent.\nThe wardens of hell punish them with the five-fold crucifixion.\nThey drive red-hot stakes through the hands and feet, and another in the middle of the chest.\nAnd there they suffer painful, sharp, severe, acute feelings—but they don’t die until that bad deed is eliminated."}},{"id":"an3.36:14","sourceIds":["an3.36:14.1","an3.36:14.2"],"kind":"text","text":{"pi":"Tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, nirayapālā saṁvesetvā kudhārīhi tacchanti.\nSo tattha dukkhā tibbā kharā kaṭukā vedanā vediyati, na ca tāva kālaṁ karoti yāva na taṁ pāpakammaṁ byantīhoti.","en":"The wardens of hell throw them down and hack them with axes. …"}},{"id":"an3.36:15","sourceIds":["an3.36:15.1","an3.36:15.2","an3.36:15.3","an3.36:15.4","an3.36:15.5","an3.36:15.6","an3.36:15.7","an3.36:15.8"],"kind":"text","text":{"pi":"Tamenaṁ, bhikkhave, nirayapālā uddhampādaṁ adhosiraṁ gahetvā vāsīhi tacchanti …pe…\ntamenaṁ, bhikkhave, nirayapālā rathe yojetvā ādittāya bhūmiyā sampajjalitāya sajotibhūtāya sārentipi paccāsārentipi …pe…\ntamenaṁ, bhikkhave, nirayapālā mahantaṁ aṅgārapabbataṁ ādittaṁ sampajjalitaṁ sajotibhūtaṁ āropentipi oropentipi …pe…\ntamenaṁ, bhikkhave, nirayapālā uddhampādaṁ adhosiraṁ gahetvā tattāya lohakumbhiyā pakkhipanti, ādittāya sampajjalitāya sajotibhūtāya. (…)\nSo tattha pheṇuddehakaṁ paccamāno sakimpi uddhaṁ gacchati, sakimpi adho gacchati, sakimpi tiriyaṁ gacchati.\nSo tattha dukkhā tibbā kharā kaṭukā vedanā vediyati, na ca tāva kālaṁ karoti yāva na taṁ pāpakammaṁ byantīhoti.\nTamenaṁ, bhikkhave, nirayapālā mahāniraye pakkhipanti.\nSo kho pana, bhikkhave, mahānirayo—","en":"They hang them upside-down and hack them with hatchets. …\nThey harness them to a chariot, and drive them back and forth across burning ground, blazing and glowing. …\nThey make them climb up and down a big mountain of burning coals, blazing and glowing. …\nThe wardens of hell turn them upside down and throw them in a red-hot copper pot, burning, blazing, and glowing.\nThere they’re seared in boiling scum, and they’re swept up and down and round and round.\nAnd there they suffer painful, sharp, severe, acute feelings—but they don’t die until that bad deed is eliminated.\nThe wardens of hell toss them into the Great Hell.\nNow, about that Great Hell:"}},{"id":"an3.36:16","sourceIds":["an3.36:16.1","an3.36:16.2","an3.36:16.3","an3.36:16.4"],"kind":"text","text":{"pi":"Catukkaṇṇo catudvāro,\nvibhatto bhāgaso mito;\nAyopākārapariyanto,\nayasā paṭikujjito.","en":"‘Four are its corners, four its doors,\nneatly divided section by section.\nSurrounded by an iron wall,\nof iron is its roof."}},{"id":"an3.36:17","sourceIds":["an3.36:17.1","an3.36:17.2","an3.36:17.3","an3.36:17.4"],"kind":"text","text":{"pi":"Tassa ayomayā bhūmi,\nJalitā tejasā yutā;\nSamantā yojanasataṁ,\nPharitvā tiṭṭhati sabbadāti.","en":"The ground is even made of iron,\nit burns with fierce fire.\nThe heat forever radiates\na hundred leagues around.’"}},{"id":"an3.36:18","sourceIds":["an3.36:18.1","an3.36:18.2","an3.36:18.3","an3.36:18.4","an3.36:18.5"],"kind":"text","text":{"pi":"Bhūtapubbaṁ, bhikkhave, yamassa rañño etadahosi:\n‘ye kira, bho, loke pāpakāni kammāni karonti te evarūpā vividhā kammakāraṇā karīyanti.\nAho vatāhaṁ manussattaṁ labheyyaṁ, tathāgato ca loke uppajjeyya arahaṁ sammāsambuddho, tañcāhaṁ bhagavantaṁ payirupāseyyaṁ.\nSo ca me bhagavā dhammaṁ deseyya, tassa cāhaṁ bhagavato dhammaṁ ājāneyyan’ti.\nTaṁ 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.","en":"Once upon a time, King Yama thought,\n‘Those who do such bad deeds in the world receive these many different punishments.\nOh, 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!\nLet that Buddha teach me Dhamma, so that I may understand his teaching!’\nNow, 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."}},{"id":"an3.36:19","sourceIds":["an3.36:19.1","an3.36:19.2","an3.36:19.3","an3.36:19.4"],"kind":"text","text":{"pi":"Coditā devadūtehi,\nye pamajjanti māṇavā;\nTe dīgharattaṁ socanti,\nhīnakāyūpagā narā.","en":"When warned by the gods’ messengers,\nthose sons of Manu who are negligent\nsorrow for a long time\nwhen they go to that wretched place."}},{"id":"an3.36:20","sourceIds":["an3.36:20.1","an3.36:20.2","an3.36:20.3","an3.36:20.4"],"kind":"text","text":{"pi":"Ye ca kho devadūtehi,\nsanto sappurisā idha;\nCoditā nappamajjanti,\nariyadhamme kudācanaṁ.","en":"When warned by the gods’ messengers,\nthe good and true persons here\nnever neglect\nthe teaching of the Noble One."}},{"id":"an3.36:21","sourceIds":["an3.36:21.1","an3.36:21.2","an3.36:21.3","an3.36:21.4"],"kind":"text","text":{"pi":"Upādāne bhayaṁ disvā,\njātimaraṇasambhave;\nAnupādā vimuccanti,\njātimaraṇasaṅkhaye.","en":"Seeing the danger in grasping,\nthe origin of birth and death,\nthe unattached are freed\nwith the ending of birth and death."}},{"id":"an3.36:22","sourceIds":["an3.36:22.1","an3.36:22.2","an3.36:22.3","an3.36:22.4","an3.36:22.5"],"kind":"text","text":{"pi":"Te appamattā sukhino,\ndiṭṭhadhammābhinibbutā;\nSabbaverabhayātītā,\nsabbadukkhaṁ upaccagun”ti.\nChaṭṭhaṁ.","en":"Happy, they’ve come to a safe place,\nquenched in this very life.\nThey’ve gone beyond all enmities and fears,\nand risen above all suffering.”"}}]}],"sourceRevision":"afdafa92450cfe7573b280da50382888323666d2","sourceUrl":"https://suttacentral.net/an3.36/en/sujato","licence":"CC0 1.0","licenceUrl":"https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/","editionNote":"Full supplied source file; inherited abbreviations are preserved. Not a reconstructed expansion of every repetition. No Malay or Mandarin translation is implied."}