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SN 6.10PTS (1st ed) SN 1.1493 min read

With Kokālika

Kokālikasutta

Kokālika goes to the Buddha and criticizes Sāriputta and Moggallāna. But having deliberately slandered such great monks, he dies and Brahmā Sahampati informs the Buddha he has been reborn in hell. The Buddha gives a memorable simile of the length of life in hell.

Translated by Bhikkhu Sujato · Pāli: Mahāsaṅgīti Tipiṭaka · Public domain (CC0) via SuttaCentral

  • 0.1Saṁyutta Nikāya 6.10Linked Discourses 6.10
  • 0.21. Paṭhamavagga1. The Appeal

0.3KokālikasuttaWith Kokālika

1.1Sāvatthinidānaṁ.At Sāvatthī.1

1.2Atha 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,1.3“pāpicchā, bhante, sāriputtamoggallānā pāpikānaṁ icchānaṁ vasaṁ gatā”ti.“Sir, Sāriputta and Moggallāna have corrupt wishes. They’ve fallen under the sway of corrupt wishes.”

1.4Evaṁ vutte, bhagavā kokālikaṁ bhikkhuṁ etadavoca:When this was said, the Buddha said to Kokālika,1.5“mā hevaṁ, kokālika, avaca; mā hevaṁ, kokālika, avaca.“Don’t say that, Kokālika! Don’t say that, Kokālika!1.6Pasādehi, kokālika, sāriputtamoggallānesu cittaṁ. Pesalā sāriputtamoggallānā”ti.Have confidence in Sāriputta and Moggallāna, they’re good monks.”

1.7Dutiyampi kho kokāliko bhikkhu bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:For a second time Kokālika said to the Buddha,1.8“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.”

1.9Dutiyampi kho bhagavā kokālikaṁ bhikkhuṁ etadavoca:For a second time, the Buddha said to Kokālika,1.10“mā hevaṁ, kokālika, avaca; mā hevaṁ, kokālika, avaca.“Don’t say that, Kokālika! Don’t say that, Kokālika!1.11Pasādehi, kokālika, sāriputtamoggallānesu cittaṁ. Pesalā sāriputtamoggallānā”ti.Have confidence in Sāriputta and Moggallāna, they’re good monks.”

1.12Tatiyampi kho kokāliko bhikkhu bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:For a third time Kokālika said to the Buddha,1.13“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.”

1.14Tatiyampi kho bhagavā kokālikaṁ bhikkhuṁ etadavoca:For a third time, the Buddha said to Kokālika,1.15“mā hevaṁ …pe…“Don’t say that, Kokālika! Don’t say that, Kokālika!1.16pesalā sāriputtamoggallānā”ti.Have confidence in Sāriputta and Moggallāna, they’re good monks.”

2.1Atha 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.2.2Acirapakkantassa ca kokālikassa bhikkhuno sāsapamattīhi pīḷakāhi sabbo kāyo phuṭo ahosi.Not long after he left his body erupted with boils the size of mustard seeds.2.3Sāsapamattiyo 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.2.4Atha kho kokāliko bhikkhu teneva ābādhena kālamakāsi.Then the mendicant Kokālika died of that illness.2.5Kālaṅkato 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.

3.1Atha 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,3.2“kokāliko, bhante, bhikkhu kālaṅkato.“Sir, the mendicant Kokālika has passed away.3.3Kālaṅkato 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.”

3.4Idamavoca brahmā sahampati.That is what the divinity Sahampati said.3.5Idaṁ vatvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā padakkhiṇaṁ katvā tatthevantaradhāyīti.Then he bowed and respectfully circled the Buddha, keeping him on his right, before vanishing right there.

4.1Atha kho bhagavā tassā rattiyā accayena bhikkhū āmantesi:Then, when the night had passed, the Buddha told the mendicants all that had happened.4.2“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:4.3‘kokāliko, bhante, bhikkhu kālaṅkato.4.4Kālaṅkato ca, bhante, kokāliko bhikkhu padumaṁ nirayaṁ upapanno sāriputtamoggallānesu cittaṁ āghātetvā’ti.

4.5Idamavoca, bhikkhave, brahmā sahampati, idaṁ vatvā maṁ abhivādetvā padakkhiṇaṁ katvā tatthevantaradhāyī”ti.

5.1Evaṁ vutte, aññataro bhikkhu bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:When he said this, one of the mendicants said to the Buddha,5.2“kīvadīghaṁ nu kho, bhante, padume niraye āyuppamāṇan”ti?“Sir, how long is the lifespan in the Pink Lotus hell?”

5.3“Dīghaṁ kho, bhikkhu, padume niraye āyuppamāṇaṁ.“It’s long, mendicant.5.4Taṁ na sukaraṁ saṅkhātuṁ:It’s not easy to calculate5.5‘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.”

5.6“Sakkā pana, bhante, upamaṁ kātun”ti?“But sir, is it possible to give a simile?”

5.7“Sakkā, bhikkhū”ti bhagavā avoca:“It’s possible,” said the Buddha.

6.1“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.26.2khippataraṁ 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.3

6.3Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, vīsati abbudā nirayā, evameko nirabbudanirayo.Now, twenty lifetimes in the Abbuda hell equal one lifetime in the Nirabbuda hell.46.4Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, vīsati nirabbudā nirayā, evameko ababo nirayo.Twenty lifetimes in the Nirabbuda hell equal one lifetime in the Ababa hell.6.5Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, vīsati ababā nirayā, evameko aṭaṭo nirayo.Twenty lifetimes in the Ababa hell equal one lifetime in the Aṭaṭa hell.6.6Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, vīsati aṭaṭā nirayā, evameko ahaho nirayo.Twenty lifetimes in the Aṭaṭa hell equal one lifetime in the Ahaha hell.6.7Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, vīsati ahahā nirayā, evameko kumudo nirayo.Twenty lifetimes in the Ahaha hell equal one lifetime in the Yellow Lotus hell.6.8Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, vīsati kumudā nirayā, evameko sogandhiko nirayo.Twenty lifetimes in the Yellow Lotus hell equal one lifetime in the Fragrant Water Lily hell.6.9Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, vīsati sogandhikā nirayā, evameko uppalanirayo.Twenty lifetimes in the Fragrant Water Lily hell equal one lifetime in the Blue Water Lily hell.56.10Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, vīsati uppalā nirayā, evameko puṇḍariko nirayo.Twenty lifetimes in the Blue Water Lily hell equal one lifetime in the White Lotus hell.6.11Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, vīsati puṇḍarikā nirayā, evameko padumo nirayo.Twenty lifetimes in the White Lotus hell equal one lifetime in the Pink Lotus hell.6

6.12Padume 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.”

6.13Idamavoca bhagavā.That is what the Buddha said.6.14Idaṁ vatvāna sugato athāparaṁ etadavoca satthā:Then the Holy One, the Teacher, went on to say:

7.1“Purisassa hi jātassa,“A person is born7.2kuṭhārī jāyate mukhe;with an axe in their mouth.7.3Yāya chindati attānaṁ,A fool cuts themselves with it7.4bālo dubbhāsitaṁ bhaṇaṁ.when they say bad words.

8.1Yo nindiyaṁ pasaṁsati,When you praise someone worthy of criticism,8.2Taṁ vā nindati yo pasaṁsiyo;or criticize someone worthy of praise,8.3Vicināti mukhena so kaliṁ,you choose a losing hand with your own mouth:8.4Kalinā tena sukhaṁ na vindati.you’ll never find happiness that way.

9.1Appamattako ayaṁ kali,A losing hand at dice is a trivial thing,9.2Yo akkhesu dhanaparājayo;if all you lose is your money9.3Sabbassāpi sahāpi attanā,and all you own, even yourself.9.4Ayameva mahantaro kali;What’s a really terrible hand9.5Yo sugatesu manaṁ padosaye.is to hate the holy ones.

10.1Sataṁ sahassānaṁ nirabbudānaṁ,For a hundred thousand times a hundred million,10.2Chattiṁsati pañca ca abbudāni;times five hundred and thirty-six times <j>a thousand times ten million years710.3Yamariyagarahī nirayaṁ upeti,a slanderer of noble ones goes to hell,10.4Vācaṁ manañca paṇidhāya pāpakan”ti.having aimed bad words and thoughts at them.”

10.5Paṭhamo vaggo.

11.0Tassuddānaṁ

11.1Āyācanaṁ gāravo brahmadevo,11.2Bako ca brahmā aparā ca diṭṭhi;11.3Pamādakokālikatissako ca,11.4Turū ca brahmā aparo ca kokālikoti.

Translator’s notes

  1. A difficult problem of this text is the meaning of the numbers of the duration of hell. See the extended version at Snp 3.10 for full discussion; it has an extra passage which is essential for decoding.

    ↩ sn6.10:1.1

  2. Duration by the “Kosalan load” comes to either 150 billion years (using the Arthaśāstra khāri) or 25 billion years (using the Pali khāri). Neither of these results agrees with the other calculations in this Sutta. The correspondence is not in the result but the simple numbers: twenty packs each hundred years correspond to the twenty times ten of the hells.

    ↩ sn6.10:6.1

  3. Ten hells are listed here, the names of which do not correspond with the 21 or 28 listed in Purāṇas, nor with the seven Jain hells, nor with the hells of MN 130. The commentary offers three explanations for the obscure names of these hells: they are numbers reflecting the duration spent in Avīci; or they are the cries uttered by those suffering there; or they are simply the cold hells.

    For other meanings of abbuda, see SN 10.1:3.2, SN 1.77:1.4.

    ↩ sn6.10:6.2

  4. The Sanskrit nyarbuda (or nirbuda) is said, rather, to be ten times the arbuda. The expansion in a series of twenty is required to reach the final number, a multiple of 512.

    ↩ sn6.10:6.3

  5. The “Fragrant Water Lily” (sogandhika) is variously identified as blue or white.

    ↩ sn6.10:6.9

  6. By this calculation, the Pink Lotus lasts for 10⁷ × 20⁹ = 5.12 × 10¹⁸ years.

    ↩ sn6.10:6.11

  7. Here, take an abbuda as 10 million and a nirabbuda as 100 million, and distribute the terms of the first line to the second, for a duration of 5.36 × 10²⁵ years. This is an amplified version of the same number as previous: triple twelve to thirty-six, and multiply by ten million.

    ↩ sn6.10:10.2