At Sāvatthī. Sāvatthinidānaṁ.

Then the mendicant Kokālika went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and said to him, Atha kho kokāliko bhikkhu yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho kokāliko bhikkhu bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: “Sir, Sāriputta and Moggallāna have corrupt wishes. They’ve fallen under the sway of corrupt wishes.” “pāpicchā, bhante, sāriputtamoggallānā pāpikānaṁ icchānaṁ vasaṁ gatā”ti.

When this was said, the Buddha said to Kokālika, Evaṁ vutte, bhagavā kokālikaṁ bhikkhuṁ etadavoca: “Don’t say that, Kokālika! Don’t say that, Kokālika! “mā hevaṁ, kokālika, avaca; mā hevaṁ, kokālika, avaca. Have confidence in Sāriputta and Moggallāna, they’re good monks.” Pasādehi, kokālika, sāriputtamoggallānesu cittaṁ. Pesalā sāriputtamoggallānā”ti.

For a second time Kokālika said to the Buddha, Dutiyampi kho kokāliko bhikkhu bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: “Despite my faith and trust in the Buddha, Sāriputta and Moggallāna have corrupt wishes. They’ve fallen under the sway of corrupt wishes.” “kiñcāpi me, bhante, bhagavā saddhāyiko paccayiko; atha kho pāpicchāva bhante, sāriputtamoggallānā pāpikānaṁ icchānaṁ vasaṁ gatā”ti.

For a second time, the Buddha said to Kokālika, Dutiyampi kho bhagavā kokālikaṁ bhikkhuṁ etadavoca: “Don’t say that, Kokālika! Don’t say that, Kokālika! “mā hevaṁ, kokālika, avaca; mā hevaṁ, kokālika, avaca. Have confidence in Sāriputta and Moggallāna, they’re good monks.” Pasādehi, kokālika, sāriputtamoggallānesu cittaṁ. Pesalā sāriputtamoggallānā”ti.

For a third time Kokālika said to the Buddha, Tatiyampi kho kokāliko bhikkhu bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: “Despite my faith and trust in the Buddha, Sāriputta and Moggallāna have corrupt wishes. They’ve fallen under the sway of corrupt wishes.” “kiñcāpi …pe… icchānaṁ vasaṁ gatā”ti.

For a third time, the Buddha said to Kokālika, Tatiyampi kho bhagavā kokālikaṁ bhikkhuṁ etadavoca: “Don’t say that, Kokālika! Don’t say that, Kokālika! “mā hevaṁ …pe… Have confidence in Sāriputta and Moggallāna, they’re good monks.” pesalā sāriputtamoggallānā”ti.

Then Kokālika rose from his seat, bowed, and respectfully circled the Buddha, keeping him on his right, before leaving. Atha kho kokāliko bhikkhu uṭṭhāyāsanā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā padakkhiṇaṁ katvā pakkāmi. Not long after he left his body erupted with boils the size of mustard seeds. Acirapakkantassa ca kokālikassa bhikkhuno sāsapamattīhi pīḷakāhi sabbo kāyo phuṭo ahosi. The boils grew to the size of mung beans, then chickpeas, then jujube seeds, then jujubes, then myrobalans, then unripe wood-apples, then ripe wood-apples. Finally they burst open, and pus and blood oozed out. Sāsapamattiyo hutvā muggamattiyo ahesuṁ, muggamattiyo hutvā kalāyamattiyo ahesuṁ, kalāyamattiyo hutvā kolaṭṭhimattiyo ahesuṁ, kolaṭṭhimattiyo hutvā kolamattiyo ahesuṁ, kolamattiyo hutvā āmalakamattiyo ahesuṁ, āmalakamattiyo hutvā beluvasalāṭukamattiyo ahesuṁ, beluvasalāṭukamattiyo hutvā billamattiyo ahesuṁ, billamattiyo hutvā pabhijjiṁsu. Pubbañca lohitañca pagghariṁsu. Then the mendicant Kokālika died of that illness. Atha kho kokāliko bhikkhu teneva ābādhena kālamakāsi. He was reborn in the Pink Lotus hell because of his resentment for Sāriputta and Moggallāna. Kālaṅkato ca kokāliko bhikkhu padumaṁ nirayaṁ upapajji sāriputtamoggallānesu cittaṁ āghātetvā.

Then, late at night, the glorious divinity Sahampati, lighting up the entire Jeta’s Grove, went up to the Buddha, bowed, stood to one side, and said to him, Atha kho brahmā sahampati abhikkantāya rattiyā abhikkantavaṇṇo kevalakappaṁ jetavanaṁ obhāsetvā yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ aṭṭhāsi. Ekamantaṁ ṭhito kho brahmā sahampati bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: “Sir, the mendicant Kokālika has passed away. “kokāliko, bhante, bhikkhu kālaṅkato. He was reborn in the Pink Lotus hell because of his resentment for Sāriputta and Moggallāna.” Kālaṅkato ca, bhante, kokāliko bhikkhu padumaṁ nirayaṁ upapanno sāriputtamoggallānesu cittaṁ āghātetvā”ti.

That’s what the divinity Sahampati said. Idamavoca brahmā sahampati. Then he bowed and respectfully circled the Buddha, keeping him on his right side, before vanishing right there. Idaṁ vatvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā padakkhiṇaṁ katvā tatthevantaradhāyīti.

Then, when the night had passed, the Buddha told the mendicants all that had happened. Atha kho bhagavā tassā rattiyā accayena bhikkhū āmantesi: “imaṁ, bhikkhave, rattiṁ brahmā sahampati abhikkantāya rattiyā abhikkantavaṇṇo kevalakappaṁ jetavanaṁ obhāsetvā yenāhaṁ tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā maṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ aṭṭhāsi. Ekamantaṁ ṭhito kho, bhikkhave, brahmā sahampati maṁ etadavoca: ‘kokāliko, bhante, bhikkhu kālaṅkato. Kālaṅkato ca, bhante, kokāliko bhikkhu padumaṁ nirayaṁ upapanno sāriputtamoggallānesu cittaṁ āghātetvā’ti.

Idamavoca, bhikkhave, brahmā sahampati, idaṁ vatvā maṁ abhivādetvā padakkhiṇaṁ katvā tatthevantaradhāyī”ti.

When he said this, one of the mendicants asked the Buddha, Evaṁ vutte, aññataro bhikkhu bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: “Sir, how long is the lifespan in the Pink Lotus hell?” “kīvadīghaṁ nu kho, bhante, padume niraye āyuppamāṇan”ti?

“It’s long, mendicant. “Dīghaṁ kho, bhikkhu, padume niraye āyuppamāṇaṁ. It’s not easy to calculate Taṁ na sukaraṁ saṅkhātuṁ: how many years, how many hundreds or thousands or hundreds of thousands of years it lasts.” ‘ettakāni vassāni iti vā, ettakāni vassasatāni iti vā, ettakāni vassasahassāni iti vā, ettakāni vassasatasahassāni iti vā’”ti.

“But sir, is it possible to give a simile?” “Sakkā pana, bhante, upamaṁ kātun”ti?

“It’s possible,” said the Buddha. “Sakkā, bhikkhū”ti bhagavā avoca:

“Suppose there was a Kosalan load of twenty packs of sesame seed. And at the end of every hundred years someone would remove a single seed from it. “Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu vīsatikhāriko kosalako tilavāho. Tato puriso vassasatassa vassasatassa accayena ekamekaṁ tilaṁ uddhareyya; By this means the Kosalan load of twenty packs of sesame seed would run out faster than a single lifetime in the Abbuda hell. khippataraṁ kho so, bhikkhu, vīsatikhāriko kosalako tilavāho iminā upakkamena parikkhayaṁ pariyādānaṁ gaccheyya, na tveva eko abbudo nirayo.

Now, twenty lifetimes in the Abbuda hell equal one lifetime in the Nirabbuda hell. Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, vīsati abbudā nirayā, evameko nirabbudanirayo. Twenty lifetimes in the Nirabbuda hell equal one lifetime in the Ababa hell. Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, vīsati nirabbudā nirayā, evameko ababo nirayo. Twenty lifetimes in the Ababa hell equal one lifetime in the Aṭaṭa hell. Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, vīsati ababā nirayā, evameko aṭaṭo nirayo. Twenty lifetimes in the Aṭaṭa hell equal one lifetime in the Ahaha hell. Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, vīsati aṭaṭā nirayā, evameko ahaho nirayo. Twenty lifetimes in the Ahaha hell equal one lifetime in the Yellow Lotus hell. Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, vīsati ahahā nirayā, evameko kumudo nirayo. Twenty lifetimes in the Yellow Lotus hell equal one lifetime in the Fragrant Water Lily hell. Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, vīsati kumudā nirayā, evameko sogandhiko nirayo. Twenty lifetimes in the Fragrant Water Lily hell equal one lifetime in the Blue Water Lily hell. Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, vīsati sogandhikā nirayā, evameko uppalanirayo. Twenty lifetimes in the Blue Water Lily hell equal one lifetime in the White Lotus hell. Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, vīsati uppalā nirayā, evameko puṇḍariko nirayo. Twenty lifetimes in the White Lotus hell equal one lifetime in the Pink Lotus hell. Seyyathāpi, bhikkhu, vīsati puṇḍarikā nirayā, evameko padumo nirayo.

The mendicant Kokālika has been reborn in the Pink Lotus hell because of his resentment for Sāriputta and Moggallāna.” Padume pana, bhikkhu, niraye kokāliko bhikkhu upapanno sāriputtamoggallānesu cittaṁ āghātetvā”ti.

That is what the Buddha said. Idamavoca bhagavā. Then the Holy One, the Teacher, went on to say: Idaṁ vatvāna sugato athāparaṁ etadavoca satthā:

“A man is born “Purisassa hi jātassa, with an axe in his mouth. kuṭhārī jāyate mukhe; A fool cuts themselves with it Yāya chindati attānaṁ, when they say bad words. bālo dubbhāsitaṁ bhaṇaṁ.

When you praise someone worthy of criticism, Yo nindiyaṁ pasaṁsati, or criticize someone worthy of praise, Taṁ vā nindati yo pasaṁsiyo; you choose a losing hand with your own mouth: Vicināti mukhena so kaliṁ, you’ll never find happiness that way. Kalinā tena sukhaṁ na vindati.

A losing hand at dice is a trivial thing, Appamattako ayaṁ kali, if all you lose is your money Yo akkhesu dhanaparājayo; and all you own, even yourself. Sabbassāpi sahāpi attanā, What’s a really terrible hand Ayameva mahantaro kali; is to hate the holy ones. Yo sugatesu manaṁ padosaye.

For a hundred thousand times a hundred million, Sataṁ sahassānaṁ nirabbudānaṁ, times five hundred and thirty-six times
a thousand times ten million years
Chattiṁsati pañca ca abbudāni; a slanderer of noble ones goes to hell, Yamariyagarahī nirayaṁ upeti, having aimed bad words and thoughts at them.” Vācaṁ manañca paṇidhāya pāpakan”ti.

Paṭhamo vaggo.

Tassuddānaṁ

Āyācanaṁ gāravo brahmadevo, Bako ca brahmā aparā ca diṭṭhi; Pamādakokālikatissako ca, Turū ca brahmā aparo ca kokālikoti.