諸經要集 18.41

18.41

Furthermore, the New Vibhāṣā asks: "Are the hell wardens sentient beings or non-sentient?" Answer: "If they are those who bind newly born hell beings with iron chains and take them to King Yama, they are sentient beings; if they are those who harm sentient beings in hell with various instruments of torture, they are non-sentient. Beneath Jambudvīpa there is the great hell. Above Jambudvīpa there are also marginal hells and solitary hells, located either in valleys, on mountains, in wild plains, or in the open air. In the other three continents there are only marginal hells and solitary hells, and no great hell. Why is this? It is only because the humans of Jambudvīpa perform good with great intensity, and they also commit evil with great intensity, which is not the case in the other continents. Some say that in Uttarakuru there are also no marginal hells and so forth, because it is a place where the fruits of purely wholesome karma are experienced. Question: If there are no great hells in the other continents, where do those sentient beings who commit the inexpiable karmas, sever the wholesome roots, and so on, experience their maturation? Answer: They experience it in the great hell beneath this Jambudvīpa. Question: What is the physical form of the sentient beings in hell? Answer: Their form is like that of humans. Question: What is their language like? Answer: When they are first born, they all speak the noble language. Later, when they undergo suffering, although they utter various cries of agony and suffering, not a single word can be comprehended; there are only the sounds of hacking, stabbing, splitting, and tearing."