With Pāyāsi 7.1-20

7.1

“Tena hi, rājañña, taññevettha paṭipucchissāmi. Yathā te khameyya tathā naṃ byākareyyāsi.

“Well then, chieftain, I’ll ask you about this in return, and you can answer as you like.

7.2

Taṃ kiṃ maññasi, rājañña,

What do you think, chieftain?

7.3

idha te purisā coraṃ āgucāriṃ gahetvā dasseyyuṃ:

Suppose they were to arrest a bandit, a criminal and present him to you, saying,

7.4

‘ayaṃ te, bhante, coro āgucārī;

‘Sir, this is a bandit, a criminal.

7.5

imassa yaṃ icchasi, taṃ daṇḍaṃ paṇehī’ti.

Punish him as you will.’

7.6

Te tvaṃ evaṃ vadeyyāsi:

Then you’d say to them,

7.7

‘tena hi, bho, imaṃ purisaṃ daḷhāya rajjuyā pacchābāhaṃ gāḷhabandhanaṃ bandhitvā khuramuṇḍaṃ karitvā kharassarena paṇavena rathikāya rathikaṃ siṅghāṭakena siṅghāṭakaṃ parinetvā dakkhiṇena dvārena nikkhamitvā dakkhiṇato nagarassa āghātane sīsaṃ chindathā’ti.

‘Well then, my men, tie this man’s arms tightly behind his back with a strong rope. Shave his head and march him from street to street and square to square to the beating of a harsh drum. Then take him out the south gate and there, at the place of execution to the south of the city, chop off his head.’

7.8

Te ‘sādhū’ti paṭissutvā taṃ purisaṃ daḷhāya rajjuyā pacchābāhaṃ gāḷhabandhanaṃ bandhitvā khuramuṇḍaṃ karitvā kharassarena paṇavena rathikāya rathikaṃ siṅghāṭakena siṅghāṭakaṃ parinetvā dakkhiṇena dvārena nikkhamitvā dakkhiṇato nagarassa āghātane nisīdāpeyyuṃ.

Saying, ‘Good,’ they’d do as they were told, sitting him down at the place of execution.

7.9

Labheyya nu kho so coro coraghātesu:

Could that bandit get the executioners to wait, saying,

7.10

‘āgamentu tāva bhavanto coraghātā, amukasmiṃ me gāme vā nigame vā mittāmaccā ñātisālohitā, yāvāhaṃ tesaṃ uddisitvā āgacchāmī’ti, udāhu vippalapantasseva coraghātā sīsaṃ chindeyyun”ti?

‘Please, good executioners! I have friends and colleagues, relatives and kin in such-and-such village or town. Wait until I’ve visited them, then I’ll come back’? Or would they just chop off his head as he prattled on?”

7.11

“Na hi so, bho kassapa, coro labheyya coraghātesu:

7.12

‘āgamentu tāva bhavanto coraghātā amukasmiṃ me gāme vā nigame vā mittāmaccā ñātisālohitā, yāvāhaṃ tesaṃ uddisitvā āgacchāmī’ti.

7.13

Atha kho naṃ vippalapantasseva coraghātā sīsaṃ chindeyyun”ti.

“They’d just chop off his head.”

7.14

“So hi nāma, rājañña, coro manusso manussabhūtesu coraghātesu na labhissati:

“So even a human bandit couldn’t get his human executioners to stay his execution.

7.15

‘āgamentu tāva bhavanto coraghātā, amukasmiṃ me gāme vā nigame vā mittāmaccā ñātisālohitā, yāvāhaṃ tesaṃ uddisitvā āgacchāmī’ti.

7.16

Kiṃ pana te mittāmaccā ñātisālohitā pāṇātipātī adinnādāyī kāmesumicchācārī musāvādī pisuṇavācā pharusavācā samphappalāpī abhijjhālū byāpannacittā micchādiṭṭhī, te kāyassa bhedā paraṃ maraṇā apāyaṃ duggatiṃ vinipātaṃ nirayaṃ upapannā labhissanti nirayapālesu:

What then of your friends and colleagues, relatives and kin who are reborn in a lower realm after doing bad things? Could they get the wardens of hell to wait, saying,

7.17

‘āgamentu tāva bhavanto nirayapālā, yāva mayaṃ pāyāsissa rājaññassa gantvā ārocema:

‘Please, good wardens of hell! Wait until I’ve gone to the chieftain Pāyāsi to tell him that

7.18

“itipi atthi paro loko, atthi sattā opapātikā, atthi sukatadukkaṭānaṃ kammānaṃ phalaṃ vipāko”’ti?

there is an afterlife, there are beings reborn spontaneously, and there is a fruit or result of good and bad deeds’?

7.19

Imināpi kho te, rājañña, pariyāyena evaṃ hotu:

By this method, too, it ought to be proven that

7.20

‘itipi atthi paro loko, atthi sattā opapātikā, atthi sukatadukkaṭānaṃ kammānaṃ phalaṃ vipāko’”ti.

there is an afterlife, there are beings reborn spontaneously, and there is a fruit or result of good and bad deeds.”