經律異相 37.5

37.5

隨念失聲唱言。食食。時無數百千餓鬼來出。皆言。何等食阿誰與億耳言。無食。我行飢極念想得食。因出此言我無食也。諸餓鬼言。此是餓鬼城。我百千萬歲今日乃聞唱食聲。我等不布施。慳悋多故墮餓鬼中。汝欲那去。億耳言。欲至薩薄王聚落。鬼言。從是道去。於是前行復見一城。隨念唱水其事如前。前行不久復見一樹。名波羅。夜於下宿。搖樹落葉細者自食麁者與驢。如是日暮。即有床出男女。顏貌端正著天寶冠共相娛樂。作是思惟。我不應爾看他。私事。時夜過晝來。即時床滅有狗來噉是男子肉盡骨在。億耳念言。是人先作何行今得此報。夜善晝惡。我待問之。至夜更有好床。男女娛樂。即往問之。男言。汝識阿濕摩伽阿槃地中薩薄王聚落某甲屠兒不。有長老迦旃延。常出入我家。我常供給飲食衣藥。彼常語我言。莫作惡行後得大苦。我時答言。先世已來以此為業。今若不作那得自活。旃延復言。汝作此惡為晝多夜多。我言晝多。即語我言。汝夜受五戒可獲微善。我即從受。今得此報。前行不久復見二樹。名波羅。住下止宿食葉如前。男女晝來相娛。暮則床女皆滅。百足蟲出噉是男子肉。盡骨在。億耳問言。汝作何行今獲此報。男言。阿濕摩伽阿槃地國中。薩薄王聚落。某甲男子婬犯他婦。有長老迦旃延出入我家。彼教我言。莫作惡行後得苦報。我答言。不能自抑當可如何。復語我言。汝於此事何時偏多。我言夜時多。迦栴延即語我言。受晝五戒可獲微善。我用其言故獲斯報。復見樹林池水清淨。億耳於中洗浴飲驢。是池邊有堂眾寶莊嚴。億耳仰視。即作是念。我飢渴欲死當何所在。即便上堂。說佛經偈。

Following his thought, he cried out uncontrollably: “Food! Food!” At that time, countless hundreds of thousands of hungry ghosts came out, all saying: “What food? Who will give it?” Koṭikarṇa said: “There is no food. I have been walking, utterly starved, and was thinking of obtaining food; hence I spoke these words. I have no food.” The hungry ghosts said: “This is a city of hungry ghosts. For hundreds of thousands of tens of thousands of years, only today have we heard the sound of the cry for food. Because we did not practice giving and were exceedingly stingy, we fell among the hungry ghosts. Where do you wish to go?” Koṭikarṇa said: “I wish to reach the village of King Sābó.” The ghosts said: “Go by this road.” Thereupon he went forward and again saw a city. Following his thought, he cried out for water; the matter was just as before. Walking forward not long after, he again saw a tree named *pāla*. At night he lodged beneath it, shook the tree to drop its leaves, ate the tender ones himself, and gave the coarse ones to the donkey. When dusk fell, a couch appeared with a man and a woman, their features handsome, wearing heavenly jewel crowns, revelling together. He thought: “I should not be looking at their private affairs like this.” When the night passed and day came, the couch immediately vanished, and dogs came to devour the man's flesh, leaving only his bones. Koṭikarṇa thought: “What action did this person perform in the past to receive this retribution now—good by night and evil by day? I will wait and ask him.” When night came, there was again a fine couch, with the man and woman revelling. He immediately went and asked him. The man said: “Do you recognise a certain butcher in the village of King Sābó in Aśmaka-Avanti? There was an elder, Kātyāyana, who regularly visited my house, and I constantly provided him with food, drink, clothing, and medicine. He constantly said to me: ‘Do not commit evil deeds, for you will receive great suffering later.’ I replied at the time: ‘From past generations onward, this has been my trade; if I do not do it now, how can I sustain myself?’ Kātyāyana said again: ‘Do you commit this evil more by day or more by night?’ I said: ‘More by day.’ He immediately said to me: ‘If you take the five precepts at night, you can obtain a little good.’ I then took them from him, and now I receive this retribution.” Walking forward not long after, he again saw two trees named *pāla*. He stopped to lodge beneath them and ate leaves as before. A man and a woman came by day to revel together; at dusk, the couch and woman both vanished, and centipedes came out to devour the man's flesh, leaving only his bones. Koṭikarṇa asked: “What action did you perform to now receive this retribution?” The man said: “In the village of King Sābó in the country of Aśmaka-Avanti, a certain man committed adultery with another's wife. There was an elder, Kātyāyana, who visited my house; he instructed me, saying: ‘Do not commit evil deeds, for you will receive a bitter retribution later.’ I replied: ‘I cannot restrain myself; what can be done?’ He said to me again: ‘At what time do you do this more?’ I said: ‘More at night.’ Kātyāyana then said to me: ‘If you take the five precepts by day, you can obtain a little good.’ Because I followed his words, I have received this retribution.” He again saw a grove of trees with pure, clean pond water. Koṭikarṇa bathed in it and watered his donkey. Beside this pond was a hall adorned with many jewels. Koṭikarṇa looked up and then thought: “I am about to die of hunger and thirst; where should I stay?” He then went up into the hall and spoke a verse from the Buddha's sūtras: