經律異相 37.5

37.5

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: