2025-11-11

SN 19.1 Aṭṭhisutta

Evaṁ me sutaṁ --- ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā rājagahe viharati veḷuvane kalandakanivāpe.
Tena kho pana samayena āyasmā ca lakkhaṇo āyasmā ca mahāmoggallāno gijjhakūṭe pabbate viharanti.

Atha kho āyasmā mahāmoggallāno pubbaṇhasamayaṁ nivāsetvā pattacīvaramādāya yenāyasmā lakkhaṇo
tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmantaṁ lakkhaṇaṁ etadavoca: "āyāmāvuso lakkhaṇa, rājagahaṁ
piṇḍāya pavisissāmā"ti. "Evamāvuso"ti kho āyasmā lakkhaṇo āyasmato mahāmoggallānassa paccassosi.

Atha kho āyasmā mahāmoggallāno gijjhakūṭā pabbatā orohanto aññatarasmiṁ padese sitaṁ pātvākāsi. Atha kho āyasmā lakkhaṇo āyasmantaṁ mahāmoggallānaṁ etadavoca: "ko nu kho, āvuso moggallāna, hetu ko paccayo sitassa pātukammāyā"ti? "Akālo kho, āvuso lakkhaṇa, etassa pañhassa. Bhagavato maṁ santike etaṁ pañhaṁ pucchā"ti.

Atha kho āyasmā ca lakkhaṇo āyasmā ca mahāmoggallāno rājagahe piṇḍāya caritvā pacchābhattaṁ piṇḍapātapaṭikkantā yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdiṁsu. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā lakkhaṇo āyasmantaṁ mahāmoggallānaṁ etadavoca:

"Idhāyasmā mahāmoggallāno gijjhakūṭā pabbatā orohanto aññatarasmiṁ padese sitaṁ pātvākāsi. Ko nu kho, āvuso moggallāna, hetu ko paccayo sitassa pātukammāyā"ti?

"Idhāhaṁ, āvuso, gijjhakūṭā pabbatā orohanto addasaṁ aṭṭhikasaṅkhalikaṁ vehāsaṁ gacchantiṁ.
Tamenaṁ gijjhāpi kākāpi kulalāpi anupatitvā anupatitvā phāsuḷantarikāhi vitudenti vitacchenti virājenti.

Sā sudaṁ aṭṭassaraṁ karoti. Tassa mayhaṁ, āvuso, etadahosi: 'Acchariyaṁ vata bho, abbhutaṁ vata bho.
Evarūpopi nāma satto bhavissati. Evarūpopi nāma yakkho bhavissati.
Evarūpopi nāma attabhāvapaṭilābho bhavissatī'"ti.

Atha kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi: "Cakkhubhūtā vata, bhikkhave, sāvakā viharanti; ñāṇabhūtā vata, bhikkhave, sāvakā viharanti, yatra hi nāma sāvako evarūpaṁ ñassati vā dakkhati vā sakkhiṁ vā karissati.

Pubbeva me so, bhikkhave, satto diṭṭho ahosi, api cāhaṁ na byākāsiṁ.
Ahañcetaṁ byākareyyaṁ, pare ca me na saddaheyyuṁ. Ye me na saddaheyyuṁ,
tesaṁ taṁ assa dīgharattaṁ ahitāya dukkhāya.

Eso, bhikkhave, satto imasmiṁyeva rājagahe goghātako ahosi. So tassa kammassa vipākena bahūni vassāni bahūni vassasatāni bahūni vassasahassāni bahūni vassasatasahassāni niraye paccitvā tasseva kammassa vipākāvasesena evarūpaṁ attabhāvapaṭilābhaṁ paṭisaṁvedayatī"ti.

More from SN 19 Lakkhaṇasaṁyutta

SN 19.5, A pig butcher: a man whose body hairs were swords flying through the air, and those swords kept rising up and falling on his body as he screamed in pain.

SN 19.9, An informant: a man whose body hairs were needles flying through the air, the needles bored into his head and out his mouth, chest, belly, thighs, calves, his feet...

SN 19.10, A corrupt village head: a man with testicles big as pots flying through the air. When he was walking he had to lift his testicles on to his shoulder. And when he sat down, he sat right on them. Vultures, crows, and hawks kept chasing him, pecking and clawing as he screamed in pain.

SN 19.17-21, A bad monk / bad nun / bad trainee nun / bad novice monk / bad novice nun: his/her outer robe, bowl, belt, and body were burning, blazing, and glowing as he/she screamed in pain.

SN 19.1 Commentary

(DPR) Lakkhaṇasaṁyutte yvāyaṁ āyasmā ca lakkhaṇo ti lakkhaṇatthero vutto ...

In the Lakkhaṇa Saṁyutta, the one who is spoken of as the Elder Lakkhaṇa, the venerable Lakkhaṇa,
should be known as a great disciple who was ordained with the 'come, monk' ordination from among
the thousand matted-hair ascetics and attained arahantship at the conclusion of the Fire Sermon.
And because he was endowed with a personality like a brahmā, complete in all aspects and possessing
the [special] marks, he was therefore known as 'Lakkhaṇa'.

• goghātako ti gāvo vadhitvā 'a butcher of cows' [means], having killed a cow

• aṭṭhito maṁsaṁ mocetvā having cut up and detached the flesh

• vikkiṇitvā jīvikaṁ kappeti sells it to make a living

• satto tasseva kammassa vipākāvasesenā ti
  that being, "due to the remaining result of that very same kamma"

• tassa nānācetanāhi āyūhitassa aparāpariyakammassa
  of that repeated kamma to be experienced in a subsequent existence which was accumulated by various volitions.

• tatra hi yāya cetanāya narake paṭisandhi janitā
  there, by whichever volition rebirth in hell was produced

• tassā vipāke parikkhīṇe when the result of that (volition) is exhausted

• avasesekammaṁ vā kammanimittaṁ vā ārammaṇaṁ katvā
  taking the remaining kamma or kamma-sign (object) as the basis

• puna petādīsu paṭisandhi nibbattati
  rebirth again arises among ghosts (petas) and the like

• tasmā sā paṭisandhi kammasabhāgatāya ārammaṇasabhāgatāya vā
  thus, that rebirth is associated with kamma or its object

• "tasseva kammassa vipākāvaseso" ti vuccati
  is called "the remaining result of that very kamma"

• ayañca satto evaṁ uppanno and this being was reborn in such a way

• tenāha --- "tasseva kammassa vipākāvasesenā" ti
  therefore, it is said: "due to the remaining result of that very kamma"

• tassa kira narakā cavanakāle
  at the time of that being's falling away from hell

• nimmaṁsakatānaṁ gunnaṁ aṭṭhirāsiyeva nimittaṁ ahosi
  the sign (kamma-sign) was like a heap of fleshless bones stuck together

• so paṭicchannampi taṁ kammaṁ viññūnaṁ pākaṭaṁ viya karonto
  though concealed, he made that kamma manifest as if to the wise

• so paṭicchannampi taṁ kammaṁ viññūnaṁ pākaṭaṁ viya karonto aṭṭhisaṅkhalikapeto jāto.
  He, as if making that kamma manifest to the wise even though it was concealed, was born as a skeleton-peta.

(Gemini and Mistral)

Related

• tasseva kammassa vipākāvasesena
• The being's current state arises from the remaining result of the same kamma that initially caused rebirth in hell.
• tassā vipāke parikkhīṇe
• When the primary vipāka (e.g., hell rebirth) is exhausted, residual kamma (avasesekamma) or its sign (kammanimitta) triggers further rebirth (e.g., as a peta).
• yāya cetanāya narake paṭisandhi janitā
• The volition (cetanā) that generated hell-rebirth determines the initial vipāka.
• puna petādīsu paṭisandhi nibbattati
• After hell's vipāka ends, residual kamma or its sign (nimitta) conditions rebirth in lower realms (e.g., petas).
• nimmaṁsakatānaṁ gunnaṁ aṭṭhirāsiyeva nimittaṁ ahosi
• At death in hell, the being's kamma-sign manifests as a heap of fleshless bones (symbolizing past deeds), shaping the next rebirth.

Terms:

• Vipākāvasesa: "Remaining result" of kamma (unexhausted potential for future effects).
• Kammanimitta: "Kamma-sign": A mental or physical symbol of past kamma at death, influencing rebirth.
• Avasesekamma: "Remaining kamma" not yet matured into vipāka.
• Paṭisandhi: "Rebirth-linking" consciousness, conditioned by kamma.
• Volition (cetanā) → Generates kamma (e.g., unwholesome deeds).
• Primary vipāka → Rebirth in hell (exhausts first).
• Residual kamma (avasesekamma) or kamma-sign (nimitta) → Triggers next rebirth (e.g., as a peta).

Discussed earlier:

• AN 3.76, Kamma is the field, consciousness the seed, craving is the moisture

"Iti kho, ānanda, kammaṁ khettaṁ, viññāṇaṁ bījaṁ, taṇhā sneho. Avijjānīvaraṇānaṁ sattānaṁ taṇhāsaṁyojanānaṁ hīnāya dhātuyā viññāṇaṁ patiṭṭhitaṁ evaṁ āyatiṁ punabbhavābhinibbatti hoti.

• SN 36.21 Sīvakasutta, Not everything experienced is the result of kamma, See discussion on 2025-04-03

Depiction of demons:

• What's the difference between ghosts and demons? Books, folklore and history reflect society's supernatural beliefs

AN 4.85 Tamotamasutta

"Cattārome, bhikkhave, puggalā santo saṁvijjamānā lokasmiṁ. Katame cattāro?
Tamo tamaparāyaṇo, tamo jotiparāyaṇo, joti tamaparāyaṇo, joti jotiparāyaṇo.

... Kathañca, bhikkhave, puggalo tamo hoti jotiparāyaṇo? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco puggalo
nīce kule paccājāto hoti --- caṇḍālakule vā venakule vā nesādakule vā rathakārakule vā
pukkusakule vā dalidde appannapānabhojane kasiravuttike, yattha kasirena ghāsacchādo labbhati.

So ca hoti dubbaṇṇo duddasiko okoṭimako bavhābādho kāṇo vā kuṇī vā khañjo vā pakkhahato vā
na lābhī annassa pānassa vatthassa yānassa mālāgandhavilepanassa seyyāvasathapadīpeyyassa.
So kāyena sucaritaṁ carati, vācāya sucaritaṁ carati, manasā sucaritaṁ carati. So kāyena
sucaritaṁ caritvā, vācāya sucaritaṁ caritvā, manasā sucaritaṁ caritvā kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā
sugatiṁ saggaṁ lokaṁ upapajjati. Evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, puggalo tamo hoti jotiparāyaṇo.