power. When their families were informed of what had occurred, they all received the five obligations from Punna. They were desirous to present a portion of the sandal-wood to the rahat, but he told them to erect therewith a residence for Budha. After its completion, the teacher of the three worlds visited the place, and there remained several days, preaching to the people. (Amáwatura.) 10. The Asurs. The asurs, who reside under Maha Méru,† are of immense size. Ráhu is 76,800 miles high; 19,200 miles broad across the shoulders; his head is 14,500 miles round; his forehead is 4,800 miles broad; from eye-brow to eye-brow measures 800 miles; his mouth is 3,200 miles in size, and 4,800 miles deep; the palm of his hand is 5,600 miles in size; the joints of his fingers, 800 miles; the sole of his foot, 12,000 miles; from his elbow to the tip of his finger is 19,200 miles; and with one finger he can cover the sun or moon, so as to obscure their light. 11. The Prétas. The inhabitants of the Lókántarika naraka are prétas. Their bodies are twelve miles high, and they have very large nails. On the top of the head there is a mouth, about the size of a needle's eye. In the world of men there is a préta birth called Nijhámátanhá. The bodies of these prétas always burn. They continually wander about, never remaining in any one place a Brahma put forth in darkness beings emaciate with hunger, of hideous aspects, and with long beards. Those beings hastened to the deity. Such of them as exclaimed, Oh preserve us! were thence called rákshawas (from ráksha, to preserve): others, who cried out, Let us eat, were denominated from that expression yakshas (from yaksha, to eat).-Wilson's Vishnu Purána. The word yaksha may have some affinity to the Hebrew, to lay snares. + "The (Tamul) nations of Ceylon believe that in the earliest wars of the gods, three of the peaks of Maha Méru were thrown down and driven to different parts of the world: one of them is Koníswara-parwatiya, or Trincomalee, which thenceforth became, equally with Kailasa, the abode of Siva." -Forbes' Ceylon. The Hindu tradition is of a somewhat different character. "At the marriage of Shivu and Parvutee all the gods were present, and the heavens were left empty. Seizing this opportunity Puvunu, the god of the winds, flew to Sumeru, broke the summit of the mountain, and hurled it into the sea, when it became the island of Lanká (Ceylon)."-Ward's Hindoos. longer period than the snapping of a finger. They live thus an entire kalpa. They never receive food or water, and weep without intermission. All beings except the Bódhisats receive this birth, at some period or other of their existence. In this world there is also the préta birth called Khuppipása. These prétas have heads 144 miles in size, tongues that are 80 miles long, and their bodies are thin, but extremely tall. For the space of a Budhántara they do not receive food or water. Were they to attempt to drink of the water of the ocean, it would disappear to them, as if it were dried up. Were a rishi to try to pour all the water of the five great rivers into their mouths, before they could taste a drop of it, it would be dried up, by the heat proceeding from their bodies. All beings except the Bódhisats are subject to the miseries of this birth. There is the préta birth called Kálakanjaka. These prétas continually chase and maim each other with fire and shining weapons; and this birth is received by all beings except the Bódhisats. The prétas may receive food and drink from their relatives; who can further benefit them by performing acts of merit in their name, such as the giving of food, alms-bowls, &c., to the priests. But there are many prétas who have so much demerit that they cannot in this way be assisted; still, though the act be of no benefit to the prétas, it is to the person who performs it. The prétas derive no benefit from the weeping and lamentation of their relatives, and it is no advantage to them when their merits are proclaimed. A préti, who had two sons, one day left them near the gate of the city of Anuradhapura, whilst she roamed through the streets to seek food. The sons, seeing a priest about to enter the city to receive alms, requested that if he met with their mother he would inform her that they were very hungry. The priest asked how he was to know their mother, when they described her to him, and gave him a certain root,* by which he would acquire the power of seeing the prétas. On entering the city he saw many thousands of these beings, so that his progress through the city was greatly impeded, as he had to step on one The roots of certain trees are generally regarded as having great power over demons. The root baaras was supposed by the Jews to drive them away from the sick.--Josephus, De Bell. Jud. vii. 6. side continually to let the prétas pass him. At last he met the mother, who was seeking offal in the street of the butchers, and he delivered to her the message from her sons. On hearing it, she enquired how he could see her, when he informed her of the root; but out of compassion she snatched it from his hand, as she knew that by its influence he would see so many prétas as to be prevented from seeking alms, and thus have to return home without food. 12. The Inhabitants of the Narakas. The beings who seize upon the damned have bodies twelve miles in size; they take a flame in their right hand, and strike their victim, after which they lash him with an equal flame, held in the left hand. If he has taken life in a former birth, or committed any other great crime, he must remain in the naraka until he has received the entire punishment that is due. The tormentors throw him down on the iron floor, and cleave him with an axe. They fasten him with his feet upwards and head downwards to a chariot of fire, and urge him onward with a red-hot goad. He ascends in the flame, and is then cast down ; he is enclosed in the Lohokumba hell; he is covered all over with foam, like a grain of rice in the oven; he is now up, now down, and now on one side; and he dies not until the punishment he must receive for his demerit is complete. (Bálapandhita-sútra-sanné.) It was declared by Budha, that if any one were to attempt to describe all the misery of all the narakas, more than a hundred, or even a hundred thousand years, would be required for the recital. The beings in the narakas endure much sorrow; they suffer much pain; every member of the body, throughout all its parts, is exposed to an intense fire; they weep, and send forth a doleful lamentation; their mouths and faces are covered with saliva; they are crushed by an insupportable affliction; they have no help; their misery is incessant; and they live in the midst of a fire that is fiercer than the sun-beam, raging continually, casting forth flames above, below, and on the four sides, to the distance. of 100 yojanas. Yet even these miserable beings are afraid of death, although this fear arises from no love they have to the place of torment; from this they wish to be released. In what way, is it asked? A man is exposed to danger from a snake, an elephant, or a lion, or some punishment awarded by the king; from this he wishes to be released, and yet at the same time he fears death. Again, a man has a dangerous tumour, which the surgeon is prepared to remove by the application of caustic or the use of some sharp instrument; this man wishes to be relieved from the pain of the tumour, but still dreads the operation. Again, a poor man in prison is sent for by some great ruler, and is ushered into his presence that he may be set at liberty; this man wishes for liberty, but trembles when entering a place of so much splendour. Again, a man is bitten by a poisonous serpent; he falls to the ground, and tosses himself violently from side to side; another man who sees his danger pronounces over him a charm, that the force of the poison may be overcome; when coming to himself, and on the point of being cured, he is afraid, and trembles; nevertheless he wishes that the cure may be effected. In like manner the beings in the narakas, though they have no satisfaction in the situation in which they are placed, like all other beings, fear death. (Milinda Prasna). Upon one occasion Milinda said to Nágaséna, "You affirm that the fire of the narakas is intensely more powerful than the natural fire of this world; if a small stone be here cast into the fire, it will remain a whole day without being consumed; but if a rock as large as a house be cast into the fire of a naraka, you say it will be consumed in a moment: this I cannot believe. You say again, that if a being is cast into a naraka, he will remain there many ages without coming to destruction: this also I cannot believe." Nágaséna replied, "How so? There is the sword-fish, the alligator, the tortoise, the peacock, and the pigeon; these all eat stones and gravel; but by the power of the digestive fire within the body these hard substances are decomposed; but if the females of any of these reptiles or birds become pregnant, is the embryo destroyed from the same cause?" Milinda: "No." Nágaséna: "Why?" Milinda: "By means of their individual karma they are preserved." Milinda : "So also, the beings in the narakas are preserved by their individual karma during many ages; they are there born, arrive at maturity, and die. Budha has said, Priests, so long as the karma of a being in a naraka continues to exist, that being must exist." There were five persons who lived in the time of Gótama Budha, of whom it is recorded that they went to a naraka:-1. The noble Bhagineyya, who violated the chastity of the priestess, Upulwan. 2. The brahman Mágandhi, who reviled Budha during seven days. 3. Chinchi, the female who was instigated by the tirttakas to bring a false accusation against Budha, in the presence of the four orders of the priesthood. 4. Supra Budha, the father-in-law of Budha. 5. Déwadatta, the son of Supra Budha, who tempted some of the followers of Budha to forsake him, and fell into heresy. |