Viyahapannatti 14.6.616

14.6.616

neraiyā ṇaṃ bhaṃte! kiṃ vīcīdavvāiṃ āhāreṃti? avīcīdavvāiṃ āhāreṃti?
goyamā! neraiyā vīcīdavvāiṃ pi āhāreṃti, avīcīdavvāiṃ pi āhāreṃti|
se keṇaṭṭheṇaṃ bhaṃte! evaṃ vuccai–neraiyā vīcī davvāiṃ pi āhāreṃti, avīcīdavvāiṃ pi āhāreṃti?
goyamā! je ṇaṃ neraiyā egapaesūṇāiṃ pi davvāiṃ āhāreṃti, te ṇaṃ neraiyā vīcīdavvāiṃ āhāreṃti, je ṇaṃ neraiyā paḍipuṇṇāiṃ davvāiṃ āhāreṃti, te ṇaṃ neraiyā avīcīdavvāiṃ āhāreṃti|
se teṇaṭṭheṇaṃ goyamā! evaṃ vuccai–neraiyā vīcīdavvāiṃ pi āhāreṃti, avīcīdavvāiṃ pi āhāreṃti| evaṃ jāva vemāṇiyā|

"Venerable Sir! Do the inhabitants of hell nourish themselves on discontinuous matters (vīcī-dravya) or on continuous matters (avīcī-dravya)?"
"Gautama! The inhabitants of hell nourish themselves on discontinuous matters as well, and on continuous matters as well."
"For what reason, Venerable Sir, is it said: 'The inhabitants of hell nourish themselves on discontinuous matters as well, and on continuous matters as well'?"
"Gautama! Those inhabitants of hell who nourish themselves on matters deficient even by a single space-point (pradeśa), those inhabitants of hell nourish themselves on discontinuous matters; those inhabitants of hell who nourish themselves on complete matters, those inhabitants of hell nourish themselves on continuous matters.
For that reason, Gautama, it is said: 'The inhabitants of hell nourish themselves on discontinuous matters as well, and on continuous matters as well.' In this manner, up to the celestial beings."