1Then King Pasenadi of Kosala went up to the Buddha in the middle of the day … The Buddha said to him: “So, great king, where are you coming from in the middle of the day?”

2“Sir, here in Sāvatthī a financier householder has passed away. Since he died childless, I have come after transferring his fortune to the royal compound. There was ten million in gold, not to mention the silver. And yet that financier ate meals of rough gruel with pickles. He wore clothes consisting of three pieces of sunn hemp. He traveled around in a vehicle that was a dilapidated little cart, holding a leaf as sunshade.”

3“That’s so true, great king! That’s so true! Once upon a time, great king, that financier householder provided alms-food on behalf of a Buddha awakened for himself named Tagarasikhī. He instructed: ‘Give alms to that ascetic,’ before getting up from his seat and leaving. But after giving he regretted it: ‘It would have been better to feed the bondservants or workers with that alms-food.’ What’s more, he murdered his brother’s only child for the sake of his fortune.

4Because that financier provided Tagarasikhī with alms-food, as a result of that deed he was reborn seven times in a good place, a heavenly realm. And as a residual result of that same deed he held the position of financier seven times right here in Sāvatthī. But because that financier regretted giving alms, as a result of that deed his mind didn’t tend to enjoy nice food, clothes, vehicles, or the five refined kinds of sensual stimulation. And because that financier murdered his brother’s only child for the sake of his fortune, as a result of that deed he burned in hell for many years, for many hundreds, many thousands, many hundreds of thousands of years. And as a residual result of that same deed for the seventh time, since he is childless, his fortune ends up in the royal treasury. Now the old merit of that financier has been used up, and he hasn’t accumulated new merit. Today, great king, that financier burns in the Great Hell of Screams.”

“So, sir, that financier has been reborn in the Great Hell of Screams?”

“Yes he has, great king.”

That is what the Buddha said. …

5“Grain, wealth, silver, and gold,
or whatever other possessions there are;
bondservants, workers, employees,
and those dependent for their livelihood:

6you must go on without taking these;
all of them are left behind.
But the deeds you do
by body, speech, and mind —

7that’s what you can call your own.
That’s what you take when you go.
That’s what goes with you,
like a shadow that never leaves.

8That’s why you should do good,
investing in the future life.
The good deeds of sentient beings
support them in the next world.”

1Atha kho rājā pasenadi kosalo divā divassa yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā ekamantaṁ nisinnaṁ kho rājānaṁ pasenadiṁ kosalaṁ bhagavā etadavoca: "handa kuto nu tvaṁ, mahārāja, āgacchasi divā divassā"ti?

2"Idha, bhante, sāvatthiyaṁ seṭṭhi gahapati kālaṅkato. Tamahaṁ aputtakaṁ sāpateyyaṁ rājantepuraṁ atiharitvā āgacchāmi. Sataṁ, bhante, satasahassāni hiraññasseva, ko pana vādo rūpiyassa. Tassa kho pana, bhante, seṭṭhissa gahapatissa evarūpo bhattabhogo ahosi – kaṇājakaṁ bhuñjati bilaṅgadutiyaṁ. Evarūpo vatthabhogo ahosi – sāṇaṁ dhāreti tipakkhavasanaṁ. Evarūpo yānabhogo ahosi – jajjararathakena yāti paṇṇachattakena dhāriyamānenā"ti.

3"Evametaṁ, mahārāja, evametaṁ, mahārāja. Bhūtapubbaṁ so, mahārāja, seṭṭhi gahapati taggarasikhiṁ nāma paccekasambuddhaṁ piṇḍapātena paṭipādesi. ‘Detha samaṇassa piṇḍan’ti vatvā uṭṭhāyāsanā pakkāmi. Datvā ca pana pacchā vippaṭisārī ahosi: ‘varametaṁ piṇḍapātaṁ dāsā vā kammakarā vā bhuñjeyyun’ti. Bhātu ca pana ekaputtakaṁ sāpateyyassa kāraṇā jīvitā voropesi.

4Yaṁ kho so, mahārāja, seṭṭhi gahapati taggarasikhiṁ paccekasambuddhaṁ piṇḍapātena paṭipādesi, tassa kammassa vipākena sattakkhattuṁ sugatiṁ saggaṁ lokaṁ upapajji. Tasseva kammassa vipākāvasesena imissāyeva sāvatthiyā sattakkhattuṁ seṭṭhittaṁ kāresi. Yaṁ kho so, mahārāja, seṭṭhi gahapati datvā pacchā vippaṭisārī ahosi: ‘varametaṁ piṇḍapātaṁ dāsā vā kammakarā vā bhuñjeyyun’ti, tassa kammassa vipākena nāssuḷārāya bhattabhogāya cittaṁ namati, nāssuḷārāya vatthabhogāya cittaṁ namati, nāssuḷārāya yānabhogāya cittaṁ namati, nāssuḷārānaṁ pañcannaṁ kāmaguṇānaṁ bhogāya cittaṁ namati. Yaṁ kho so, mahārāja, seṭṭhi gahapati bhātu ca pana ekaputtakaṁ sāpateyyassa kāraṇā jīvitā voropesi, tassa kammassa vipākena bahūni vassāni bahūni vassasatāni bahūni vassasahassāni bahūni vassasatasahassāni niraye paccittha. Tasseva kammassa vipākāvasesena idaṁ sattamaṁ aputtakaṁ sāpateyyaṁ rājakosaṁ paveseti.

Tassa kho, mahārāja, seṭṭhissa gahapatissa purāṇañca puññaṁ parikkhīṇaṁ, navañca puññaṁ anupacitaṁ. Ajja pana, mahārāja, seṭṭhi gahapati mahāroruve niraye paccatī"ti.

"Evaṁ, bhante, seṭṭhi gahapati mahāroruvaṁ nirayaṁ upapanno"ti.

"Evaṁ, mahārāja, seṭṭhi gahapati mahāroruvaṁ nirayaṁ upapanno"ti. Idamavoca … pe … .

5"Dhaññaṁ dhanaṁ rajataṁ jātarūpaṁ,
Pariggahaṁ vāpi yadatthi kiñci;
Dāsā kammakarā pessā,
Ye cassa anujīvino.

6Sabbaṁ nādāya gantabbaṁ,
sabbaṁ nikkhippagāminaṁ;
Yañca karoti kāyena,
vācāya uda cetasā.

7Tañhi tassa sakaṁ hoti,
taṁva ādāya gacchati;
Taṁvassa anugaṁ hoti,
chāyāva anapāyinī.

8Tasmā kareyya kalyāṇaṁ,
nicayaṁ samparāyikaṁ;
Puññāni paralokasmiṁ,
patiṭṭhā honti pāṇinan"ti.

Dutiyo vaggo.

9Jaṭilā pañca rājāno,
Doṇapākakurena ca;
Saṅgāmena dve vuttāni,
Mallikā dve appamādena ca;
Aputtakena dve vuttā,
Vaggo tena pavuccatīti.