The Buddha confirms Venerable Mahāmoggallāna's clairvoyant vision of a woman stinking and dingy as a catfish suffering in a ghostly incarnation for past unethical conduct in Rājagaha, illustrating the inescapable results of unwholesome kamma.
“Idhāhaṁ, āvuso, gijjhakūṭā pabbatā orohanto addasaṁ itthiṁ duggandhaṁ maṅguliṁ vehāsaṁ gacchantiṁ. Tamenaṁ gijjhāpi kākāpi kulalāpi anupatitvā anupatitvā vitacchenti virājenti. Sā sudaṁ aṭṭassaraṁ karoti …pe…
esā, bhikkhave, itthī imasmiṁyeva rājagahe ikkhaṇikā ahosi …pe….
Catutthaṁ.
Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).
“Idhāhaṁ, āvuso, gijjhakūṭā pabbatā orohanto addasaṁ itthiṁ duggandhaṁ maṅguliṁ vehāsaṁ gacchantiṁ.
“Just now, reverend, as I was descending from Vulture’s Peak Mountain I saw a woman stinking and dingy as a catfish flying through the air.
Tamenaṁ gijjhāpi kākāpi kulalāpi anupatitvā anupatitvā vitacchenti virājenti.
Vultures, crows, and hawks kept chasing her, pecking and clawing
Sā sudaṁ aṭṭassaraṁ karoti …pe…
as she screamed in pain. …” …
esā, bhikkhave, itthī imasmiṁyeva rājagahe ikkhaṇikā ahosi …pe….
“That woman used to be a sorceress right here in Rājagaha. …”
Catutthaṁ.
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Last updated on July 27, 2026