Aṇguttara-Nikāya
III. Tika Nipāta
IV. Deva-Dūta Vagga

The Book of the Gradual Sayings
or
More-Numbered Suttas
III. The Book of the Threes
IV. Messengers of the Devas

Sutta 35

Deva-Dūta Suttaṃ

The Lord of Death^[1]

Translated from the Pali by
F.L. Woodward, M.A.

[121]

[1][wrrn][bodh][olds] Thus have I heard:

On a certain occasion the Exalted One addressed the monks, saying:

"Monks."

"Yes, Lord," replied those monks to the Exalted One.

The Exalted One said this:

"Monks, there are these three deva-messengers.

What three?

In this connexion
a certain one lives an immoral life
in deed,
word
and thought.

So doing,
when body breaks up after death
he is reborn in the Waste,
the Way of Woe,
the Downfall,
in Purgatory.

Then, monks, the warders of Purgatory
seize him by both arms
and bring him before Yama the lord (of death),^[2] saying:

[122] 'Sire, this man had no respect for mother^[3] and father,
recluses and brahmins.

He showed no deference to the elders of his clan.

Let your majesty inflict due punishment on him.'

Then, monks, Yama the lord (of death)
examines him,
closely questions him^[4]
and addresses him
concerning the first deva-messenger, saying:

'Now, my good man,
have you never seen the first deva-messenger
manifest among men?'

And he replies,

'I have not seen him, sire.'

Then says Yama, lord of death, to him:

'What!

My good man,
have you never seen any human beings,
a woman or a man,
eighty
or ninety
or a hundred years of age,
broken down,
bent inwards like the rafter of a roof,
crooked,
staff-propped,
and trembling as he goes along, -
an ailing (creature) past his prime,
with broken teeth,
grey-haired
or hairless,
bald,
with wrinkled brow
and limbs all blotched and spotted?'^[5]

Then the other says,

'Sire, I have seen.'

Then says Yama, lord of death, to him:

'My good man,
did it never occur to you
as a man of intelligence
and fully grown:

"I too am subject to old age,
I have not overpassed old age.

Come, let me act nobly in deed,
word
and thought?"

Then the other says,

'No, sire, I could not.

I was negligent.'

Then, monks, Yama, lord of death, says to him:

'My good man,
it was through negligence
that you did not act nobly in deed,
word
and thought.

Verily they shall do unto you
in accordance with your negligence.

That evil action of yours
was not done by mother,
father,
brother,
sister,
friends and comrades:
not by kinsmen,
devas,
recluses and brahmins.

By yourself alone was it done.

It is just you
that will experience the fruit thereof.'

■

[123] 2. Then, monks, Yama, lord of death,
having examined him,
closely questioned
and addressed him
concerning the first deva-messenger,
examines him,
closely questions him
and addresses him
concerning the second deva-messenger, saying:

'My good man,
have you never seen the second deva-messenger
manifest among men?'

And he replies,

'I have never seen him, sire.'

Then says Yama, lord of death, to him:

'What!

My good man,
have you never seen among human beings
a woman or a man,
sick,
afflicted,
suffering from a sore disease,
lie wallowing in his own filth,
by some lifted up,
by others put to bed?'^[6]

'Sire, I have seen.'

'Then, my good man,
did it never occur to you
as a man of intelligence
and fully grown:

"I too am subject to disease.

I have not overpassed disease.

Come, let me act nobly in deed,
word
and thought?"

Then says he,

'Sire, I could not.

I was negligent.'

Then says Yama, lord of death, to him:

'My good man,
it was through negligence
that you did not act nobly
in deed,
word
and thought.

Verily they shall do unto you
according to your negligence.

That evil action of yours
was not done by mother,
father,
brother,
sister,
friends and comrades:
not by kinsmen,
devas,
recluses and brahmins.

By yourself alone was it done.

It is just you
that will experience the fruit thereof.'

■

3. Thereupon, monks, Yama, lord of death,
having examined^[7] him,
closely questioned
and addressed him
concerning the first deva-messenger,
examines him,
closely questions him
and addresses him
concerning the third deva-messenger, saying:

'My good man,
have you never seen the third deva-messenger
manifest among men?'

And he replies,

'I have never seen him, sire.'

Then says Yama, lord of death, to him:

'What!

My good man,
have you never seen among human beings
a woman or a man,
a corpse
one,
two,
three
days dead,
swollen,
black and blue
and festering?'

And he replies,

'Sire, I have seen.'

'Then, my good man,
did it never occur to you
as a man of intelligence
and fully grown:

"I too am subject to death.

I have not overpassed death.

Come, let me act nobly in deed, word and thought?" [124]

Then says he,

'Sire, I could not.

I was negligent.'

And Yama, lord of death, says to him:

'My good man,
it was through negligence
that you did not act nobly
in deed,
word
and thought.

Verily they shall do unto you
according to your negligence.

That evil action of yours
was not done by mother,
father,
brother,
sister,
friends and comrades:
not by kinsmen,
devas,
recluses and brahmins.

By yourself alone was it done.

It is just you
that will experience the fruit thereof.'

4. Then, monks, having examined him,
closely questioned
and addressed him
concerning the third deva-messenger, Yama, lord of death,
is silent.

Thereupon, monks,
the warders of Purgatory
torture him with the fivefold pinion.^[8]

They drive a hot iron pin
through each hand and foot
and a fifth through the middle of his breast.