Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).
Sāvatthinidānaṁ.
At Sāvatthī.
Atha kho kokāliko bhikkhu yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho kokāliko bhikkhu bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:
Then the mendicant Kokālika went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and said to him,
“pāpicchā, bhante, sāriputtamoggallānā pāpikānaṁ icchānaṁ vasaṁ gatā”ti.
“Sir, Sāriputta and Moggallāna have corrupt wishes. They’ve fallen under the sway of corrupt wishes.”
Evaṁ vutte, bhagavā kokālikaṁ bhikkhuṁ etadavoca:
When this was said, the Buddha said to Kokālika,
“mā hevaṁ, kokālika, avaca; mā hevaṁ, kokālika, avaca.
“Don’t say that, Kokālika! Don’t say that, Kokālika!
Pasādehi, kokālika, sāriputtamoggallānesu cittaṁ. Pesalā sāriputtamoggallānā”ti.
Have confidence in Sāriputta and Moggallāna, they’re good monks.”
Dutiyampi kho kokāliko bhikkhu bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:
For a second time Kokālika said to the Buddha,
“kiñcāpi me, bhante, bhagavā saddhāyiko paccayiko; atha kho pāpicchāva bhante, sāriputtamoggallānā pāpikānaṁ icchānaṁ vasaṁ gatā”ti.
“Despite my faith and trust in the Buddha, Sāriputta and Moggallāna have corrupt wishes. They’ve fallen under the sway of corrupt wishes.”
Dutiyampi kho bhagavā kokālikaṁ bhikkhuṁ etadavoca:
For a second time, the Buddha said to Kokālika,
“mā hevaṁ, kokālika, avaca; mā hevaṁ, kokālika, avaca.
“Don’t say that, Kokālika! Don’t say that, Kokālika!
Pasādehi, kokālika, sāriputtamoggallānesu cittaṁ. Pesalā sāriputtamoggallānā”ti.
Have confidence in Sāriputta and Moggallāna, they’re good monks.”
Tatiyampi kho kokāliko bhikkhu bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:
For a third time Kokālika said to the Buddha,
“kiñcāpi …pe… icchānaṁ vasaṁ gatā”ti.
“Despite my faith and trust in the Buddha, Sāriputta and Moggallāna have corrupt wishes. They’ve fallen under the sway of corrupt wishes.”
Tatiyampi kho bhagavā kokālikaṁ bhikkhuṁ etadavoca:
For a third time, the Buddha said to Kokālika,
“mā hevaṁ …pe…
“Don’t say that, Kokālika! Don’t say that, Kokālika!
pesalā sāriputtamoggallānā”ti.
Have confidence in Sāriputta and Moggallāna, they’re good monks.”
Atha kho kokāliko bhikkhu uṭṭhāyāsanā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā padakkhiṇaṁ katvā pakkāmi.
Then Kokālika rose from his seat, bowed, and respectfully circled the Buddha, keeping him on his right, before leaving.
Acirapakkantassa ca kokālikassa bhikkhuno sāsapamattīhi pīḷakāhi sabbo kāyo phuṭo ahosi.
Not long after he left his body erupted with boils the size of mustard seeds.
Sāsapamattiyo hutvā muggamattiyo ahesuṁ, muggamattiyo hutvā kalāyamattiyo ahesuṁ, kalāyamattiyo hutvā kolaṭṭhimattiyo ahesuṁ, kolaṭṭhimattiyo hutvā kolamattiyo ahesuṁ, kolamattiyo hutvā āmalakamattiyo ahesuṁ, āmalakamattiyo hutvā beluvasalāṭukamattiyo ahesuṁ, beluvasalāṭukamattiyo hutvā billamattiyo ahesuṁ, billamattiyo hutvā pabhijjiṁsu. Pubbañca lohitañca pagghariṁsu.
The boils grew to the size of mung beans, then chickpeas, then jujube seeds, then jujubes, then myrobalans, then unripe wood-apples, then ripe wood-apples. Finally they burst open, and pus and blood oozed out.
Atha kho kokāliko bhikkhu teneva ābādhena kālamakāsi.
Then the mendicant Kokālika died of that illness.
Kālaṅkato ca kokāliko bhikkhu padumaṁ nirayaṁ upapajji sāriputtamoggallānesu cittaṁ āghātetvā.
He was reborn in the Pink Lotus hell because of his resentment for Sāriputta and Moggallāna.
Atha kho brahmā sahampati abhikkantāya rattiyā abhikkantavaṇṇo kevalakappaṁ jetavanaṁ obhāsetvā yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ aṭṭhāsi. Ekamantaṁ ṭhito kho brahmā sahampati bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:
Then, late at night, the glorious divinity Sahampati, lighting up the entire Jeta’s Grove, went up to the Buddha, bowed, stood to one side, and said to him,
“kokāliko, bhante, bhikkhu kālaṅkato.
“Sir, the mendicant Kokālika has passed away.
Kālaṅkato ca, bhante, kokāliko bhikkhu padumaṁ nirayaṁ upapanno sāriputtamoggallānesu cittaṁ āghātetvā”ti.
He was reborn in the Pink Lotus hell because of his resentment for Sāriputta and Moggallāna.”
Idamavoca brahmā sahampati.
That’s what the divinity Sahampati said.
Idaṁ vatvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā padakkhiṇaṁ katvā tatthevantaradhāyīti.
Then he bowed and respectfully circled the Buddha, keeping him on his right side, before vanishing right there.
Atha kho bhagavā tassā rattiyā accayena bhikkhū āmantesi:
Then, when the night had passed, the Buddha told the mendicants all that had happened.
“imaṁ, bhikkhave, rattiṁ brahmā sahampati abhikkantāya rattiyā abhikkantavaṇṇo kevalakappaṁ jetavanaṁ obhāsetvā yenāhaṁ tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā maṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ aṭṭhāsi. Ekamantaṁ ṭhito kho, bhikkhave, brahmā sahampati maṁ etadavoca:
‘kokāliko, bhante, bhikkhu kālaṅkato.
Kālaṅkato ca, bhante, kokāliko bhikkhu padumaṁ nirayaṁ upapanno sāriputtamoggallānesu cittaṁ āghātetvā’ti.
Idamavoca, bhikkhave, brahmā sahampati, idaṁ vatvā maṁ abhivādetvā padakkhiṇaṁ katvā tatthevantaradhāyī”ti.
Evaṁ vutte, aññataro bhikkhu bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:
When he said this, one of the mendicants asked the Buddha,
“kīvadīghaṁ nu kho, bhante, padume niraye āyuppamāṇan”ti?
“Sir, how long is the lifespan in the Pink Lotus hell?”
“Dīghaṁ kho, bhikkhu, padume niraye āyuppamāṇaṁ.
“It’s long, mendicant.
Taṁ na sukaraṁ saṅkhātuṁ:
It’s not easy to calculate
‘ettakāni vassāni iti vā, ettakāni vassasatāni iti vā, ettakāni vassasahassāni iti vā, ettakāni vassasatasahassāni iti vā’”ti.
how many years, how many hundreds or thousands or hundreds of thousands of years it lasts.”
“Sakkā pana, bhante, upamaṁ kātun”ti?
“But sir, is it possible to give a simile?”
“Sakkā, bhikkhū”ti bhagavā avoca:
“It’s possible,” said the Buddha.
“Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu vīsatikhāriko kosalako tilavāho. Tato puriso vassasatassa vassasatassa accayena ekamekaṁ tilaṁ uddhareyya;
“Suppose there was a Kosalan load of twenty packs of sesame seed. And at the end of every hundred years someone would remove a single seed from it.
khippataraṁ kho so, bhikkhu, vīsatikhāriko kosalako tilavāho iminā upakkamena parikkhayaṁ pariyādānaṁ gaccheyya, na tveva eko abbudo nirayo.
By this means the Kosalan load of twenty packs of sesame seed would run out faster than a single lifetime in the Abbuda hell.
Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, vīsati abbudā nirayā, evameko nirabbudanirayo.
Now, twenty lifetimes in the Abbuda hell equal one lifetime in the Nirabbuda hell.
Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, vīsati nirabbudā nirayā, evameko ababo nirayo.
Twenty lifetimes in the Nirabbuda hell equal one lifetime in the Ababa hell.
Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, vīsati ababā nirayā, evameko aṭaṭo nirayo.
Twenty lifetimes in the Ababa hell equal one lifetime in the Aṭaṭa hell.
Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, vīsati aṭaṭā nirayā, evameko ahaho nirayo.
Twenty lifetimes in the Aṭaṭa hell equal one lifetime in the Ahaha hell.
Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, vīsati ahahā nirayā, evameko kumudo nirayo.
Twenty lifetimes in the Ahaha hell equal one lifetime in the Yellow Lotus hell.
Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, vīsati kumudā nirayā, evameko sogandhiko nirayo.
Twenty lifetimes in the Yellow Lotus hell equal one lifetime in the Fragrant Water Lily hell.
Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, vīsati sogandhikā nirayā, evameko uppalanirayo.
Twenty lifetimes in the Fragrant Water Lily hell equal one lifetime in the Blue Water Lily hell.
Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, vīsati uppalā nirayā, evameko puṇḍariko nirayo.
Twenty lifetimes in the Blue Water Lily hell equal one lifetime in the White Lotus hell.
Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, vīsati puṇḍarikā nirayā, evameko padumo nirayo.
Twenty lifetimes in the White Lotus hell equal one lifetime in the Pink Lotus hell.
Padume pana, bhikkhu, niraye kokāliko bhikkhu upapanno sāriputtamoggallānesu cittaṁ āghātetvā”ti.
The mendicant Kokālika has been reborn in the Pink Lotus hell because of his resentment for Sāriputta and Moggallāna.”
Idamavoca bhagavā.
That is what the Buddha said.
Idaṁ vatvāna sugato athāparaṁ etadavoca satthā:
Then the Holy One, the Teacher, went on to say:
“Purisassa hi jātassa,
“A man is born
kuṭhārī jāyate mukhe;
with an axe in his mouth.
Yāya chindati attānaṁ,
A fool cuts themselves with it
bālo dubbhāsitaṁ bhaṇaṁ.
when they say bad words.
Yo nindiyaṁ pasaṁsati,
When you praise someone worthy of criticism,
Taṁ vā nindati yo pasaṁsiyo;
or criticize someone worthy of praise,
Vicināti mukhena so kaliṁ,
you choose a losing hand with your own mouth:
Kalinā tena sukhaṁ na vindati.
you’ll never find happiness that way.
Appamattako ayaṁ kali,
A losing hand at dice is a trivial thing,
Yo akkhesu dhanaparājayo;
if all you lose is your money
Sabbassāpi sahāpi attanā,
and all you own, even yourself.
Ayameva mahantaro kali;
What’s a really terrible hand
Yo sugatesu manaṁ padosaye.
is to hate the holy ones.
Sataṁ sahassānaṁ nirabbudānaṁ,
For a hundred thousand times a hundred million,
Chattiṁsati pañca ca abbudāni;
times five hundred and thirty-six times a thousand times ten million years
Yamariyagarahī nirayaṁ upeti,
a slanderer of noble ones goes to hell,
Vācaṁ manañca paṇidhāya pāpakan”ti.
having aimed bad words and thoughts at them.”
Paṭhamo vaggo.
Tassuddānaṁ
Āyācanaṁ gāravo brahmadevo,
Bako ca brahmā aparā ca diṭṭhi;
Pamādakokālikatissako ca,
Turū ca brahmā aparo ca kokālikoti.
Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).
At Sāvatthī.
Then the mendicant Kokālika went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and said to him,
“Sir, Sāriputta and Moggallāna have corrupt wishes. They’ve fallen under the sway of corrupt wishes.”
When this was said, the Buddha said to Kokālika,
“Don’t say that, Kokālika! Don’t say that, Kokālika!
Have confidence in Sāriputta and Moggallāna, they’re good monks.”
For a second time Kokālika said to the Buddha,
“Despite my faith and trust in the Buddha, Sāriputta and Moggallāna have corrupt wishes. They’ve fallen under the sway of corrupt wishes.”
For a second time, the Buddha said to Kokālika,
“Don’t say that, Kokālika! Don’t say that, Kokālika!
Have confidence in Sāriputta and Moggallāna, they’re good monks.”
For a third time Kokālika said to the Buddha,
“Despite my faith and trust in the Buddha, Sāriputta and Moggallāna have corrupt wishes. They’ve fallen under the sway of corrupt wishes.”
For a third time, the Buddha said to Kokālika,
“Don’t say that, Kokālika! Don’t say that, Kokālika!
Have confidence in Sāriputta and Moggallāna, they’re good monks.”
Then Kokālika rose from his seat, bowed, and respectfully circled the Buddha, keeping him on his right, before leaving.
Not long after he left his body erupted with boils the size of mustard seeds.
The boils grew to the size of mung beans, then chickpeas, then jujube seeds, then jujubes, then myrobalans, then unripe wood-apples, then ripe wood-apples. Finally they burst open, and pus and blood oozed out.
Then the mendicant Kokālika died of that illness.
He was reborn in the Pink Lotus hell because of his resentment for Sāriputta and Moggallāna.
Then, late at night, the glorious divinity Sahampati, lighting up the entire Jeta’s Grove, went up to the Buddha, bowed, stood to one side, and said to him,
“Sir, the mendicant Kokālika has passed away.
He was reborn in the Pink Lotus hell because of his resentment for Sāriputta and Moggallāna.”
That’s what the divinity Sahampati said.
Then he bowed and respectfully circled the Buddha, keeping him on his right side, before vanishing right there.
Then, when the night had passed, the Buddha told the mendicants all that had happened.
When he said this, one of the mendicants asked the Buddha,
“Sir, how long is the lifespan in the Pink Lotus hell?”
“It’s long, mendicant.
It’s not easy to calculate
how many years, how many hundreds or thousands or hundreds of thousands of years it lasts.”
“But sir, is it possible to give a simile?”
“It’s possible,” said the Buddha.
“Suppose there was a Kosalan load of twenty packs of sesame seed. And at the end of every hundred years someone would remove a single seed from it.
By this means the Kosalan load of twenty packs of sesame seed would run out faster than a single lifetime in the Abbuda hell.
Now, twenty lifetimes in the Abbuda hell equal one lifetime in the Nirabbuda hell.
Twenty lifetimes in the Nirabbuda hell equal one lifetime in the Ababa hell.
Twenty lifetimes in the Ababa hell equal one lifetime in the Aṭaṭa hell.
Twenty lifetimes in the Aṭaṭa hell equal one lifetime in the Ahaha hell.
Twenty lifetimes in the Ahaha hell equal one lifetime in the Yellow Lotus hell.
Twenty lifetimes in the Yellow Lotus hell equal one lifetime in the Fragrant Water Lily hell.
Twenty lifetimes in the Fragrant Water Lily hell equal one lifetime in the Blue Water Lily hell.
Twenty lifetimes in the Blue Water Lily hell equal one lifetime in the White Lotus hell.
Twenty lifetimes in the White Lotus hell equal one lifetime in the Pink Lotus hell.
The mendicant Kokālika has been reborn in the Pink Lotus hell because of his resentment for Sāriputta and Moggallāna.”
That is what the Buddha said.
Then the Holy One, the Teacher, went on to say:
“A man is born
with an axe in his mouth.
A fool cuts themselves with it
when they say bad words.
When you praise someone worthy of criticism,
or criticize someone worthy of praise,
you choose a losing hand with your own mouth:
you’ll never find happiness that way.
A losing hand at dice is a trivial thing,
if all you lose is your money
and all you own, even yourself.
What’s a really terrible hand
is to hate the holy ones.
For a hundred thousand times a hundred million,
times five hundred and thirty-six times a thousand times ten million years
a slanderer of noble ones goes to hell,
having aimed bad words and thoughts at them.”
Sāvatthinidānaṁ.
Atha kho kokāliko bhikkhu yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho kokāliko bhikkhu bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:
“pāpicchā, bhante, sāriputtamoggallānā pāpikānaṁ icchānaṁ vasaṁ gatā”ti.
Evaṁ vutte, bhagavā kokālikaṁ bhikkhuṁ etadavoca:
“mā hevaṁ, kokālika, avaca; mā hevaṁ, kokālika, avaca.
Pasādehi, kokālika, sāriputtamoggallānesu cittaṁ. Pesalā sāriputtamoggallānā”ti.
Dutiyampi kho kokāliko bhikkhu bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:
“kiñcāpi me, bhante, bhagavā saddhāyiko paccayiko; atha kho pāpicchāva bhante, sāriputtamoggallānā pāpikānaṁ icchānaṁ vasaṁ gatā”ti.
Dutiyampi kho bhagavā kokālikaṁ bhikkhuṁ etadavoca:
“mā hevaṁ, kokālika, avaca; mā hevaṁ, kokālika, avaca.
Pasādehi, kokālika, sāriputtamoggallānesu cittaṁ. Pesalā sāriputtamoggallānā”ti.
Tatiyampi kho kokāliko bhikkhu bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:
“kiñcāpi …pe… icchānaṁ vasaṁ gatā”ti.
Tatiyampi kho bhagavā kokālikaṁ bhikkhuṁ etadavoca:
“mā hevaṁ …pe…
pesalā sāriputtamoggallānā”ti.
Atha kho kokāliko bhikkhu uṭṭhāyāsanā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā padakkhiṇaṁ katvā pakkāmi.
Acirapakkantassa ca kokālikassa bhikkhuno sāsapamattīhi pīḷakāhi sabbo kāyo phuṭo ahosi.
Sāsapamattiyo hutvā muggamattiyo ahesuṁ, muggamattiyo hutvā kalāyamattiyo ahesuṁ, kalāyamattiyo hutvā kolaṭṭhimattiyo ahesuṁ, kolaṭṭhimattiyo hutvā kolamattiyo ahesuṁ, kolamattiyo hutvā āmalakamattiyo ahesuṁ, āmalakamattiyo hutvā beluvasalāṭukamattiyo ahesuṁ, beluvasalāṭukamattiyo hutvā billamattiyo ahesuṁ, billamattiyo hutvā pabhijjiṁsu. Pubbañca lohitañca pagghariṁsu.
Atha kho kokāliko bhikkhu teneva ābādhena kālamakāsi.
Kālaṅkato ca kokāliko bhikkhu padumaṁ nirayaṁ upapajji sāriputtamoggallānesu cittaṁ āghātetvā.
Atha kho brahmā sahampati abhikkantāya rattiyā abhikkantavaṇṇo kevalakappaṁ jetavanaṁ obhāsetvā yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ aṭṭhāsi. Ekamantaṁ ṭhito kho brahmā sahampati bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:
“kokāliko, bhante, bhikkhu kālaṅkato.
Kālaṅkato ca, bhante, kokāliko bhikkhu padumaṁ nirayaṁ upapanno sāriputtamoggallānesu cittaṁ āghātetvā”ti.
Idamavoca brahmā sahampati.
Idaṁ vatvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā padakkhiṇaṁ katvā tatthevantaradhāyīti.
Atha kho bhagavā tassā rattiyā accayena bhikkhū āmantesi:
“imaṁ, bhikkhave, rattiṁ brahmā sahampati abhikkantāya rattiyā abhikkantavaṇṇo kevalakappaṁ jetavanaṁ obhāsetvā yenāhaṁ tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā maṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ aṭṭhāsi. Ekamantaṁ ṭhito kho, bhikkhave, brahmā sahampati maṁ etadavoca:
‘kokāliko, bhante, bhikkhu kālaṅkato.
Kālaṅkato ca, bhante, kokāliko bhikkhu padumaṁ nirayaṁ upapanno sāriputtamoggallānesu cittaṁ āghātetvā’ti.
Idamavoca, bhikkhave, brahmā sahampati, idaṁ vatvā maṁ abhivādetvā padakkhiṇaṁ katvā tatthevantaradhāyī”ti.
Evaṁ vutte, aññataro bhikkhu bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:
“kīvadīghaṁ nu kho, bhante, padume niraye āyuppamāṇan”ti?
“Dīghaṁ kho, bhikkhu, padume niraye āyuppamāṇaṁ.
Taṁ na sukaraṁ saṅkhātuṁ:
‘ettakāni vassāni iti vā, ettakāni vassasatāni iti vā, ettakāni vassasahassāni iti vā, ettakāni vassasatasahassāni iti vā’”ti.
“Sakkā pana, bhante, upamaṁ kātun”ti?
“Sakkā, bhikkhū”ti bhagavā avoca:
“Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu vīsatikhāriko kosalako tilavāho. Tato puriso vassasatassa vassasatassa accayena ekamekaṁ tilaṁ uddhareyya;
khippataraṁ kho so, bhikkhu, vīsatikhāriko kosalako tilavāho iminā upakkamena parikkhayaṁ pariyādānaṁ gaccheyya, na tveva eko abbudo nirayo.
Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, vīsati abbudā nirayā, evameko nirabbudanirayo.
Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, vīsati nirabbudā nirayā, evameko ababo nirayo.
Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, vīsati ababā nirayā, evameko aṭaṭo nirayo.
Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, vīsati aṭaṭā nirayā, evameko ahaho nirayo.
Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, vīsati ahahā nirayā, evameko kumudo nirayo.
Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, vīsati kumudā nirayā, evameko sogandhiko nirayo.
Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, vīsati sogandhikā nirayā, evameko uppalanirayo.
Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, vīsati uppalā nirayā, evameko puṇḍariko nirayo.
Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, vīsati puṇḍarikā nirayā, evameko padumo nirayo.
Padume pana, bhikkhu, niraye kokāliko bhikkhu upapanno sāriputtamoggallānesu cittaṁ āghātetvā”ti.
Idamavoca bhagavā.
Idaṁ vatvāna sugato athāparaṁ etadavoca satthā:
“Purisassa hi jātassa,
kuṭhārī jāyate mukhe;
Yāya chindati attānaṁ,
bālo dubbhāsitaṁ bhaṇaṁ.
Yo nindiyaṁ pasaṁsati,
Taṁ vā nindati yo pasaṁsiyo;
Vicināti mukhena so kaliṁ,
Kalinā tena sukhaṁ na vindati.
Appamattako ayaṁ kali,
Yo akkhesu dhanaparājayo;
Sabbassāpi sahāpi attanā,
Ayameva mahantaro kali;
Yo sugatesu manaṁ padosaye.
Sataṁ sahassānaṁ nirabbudānaṁ,
Chattiṁsati pañca ca abbudāni;
Yamariyagarahī nirayaṁ upeti,
Vācaṁ manañca paṇidhāya pāpakan”ti.
Paṭhamo vaggo.
Tassuddānaṁ
Āyācanaṁ gāravo brahmadevo,
Bako ca brahmā aparā ca diṭṭhi;
Pamādakokālikatissako ca,
Turū ca brahmā aparo ca kokālikoti.