Friday 22 July 2011

The Story of Cundasukarika (Dhammapada 1 : 15)

I. Yamaka Vagga –Twin Verses 

Verse 15:
Here he grieves, hereafter he grieves; the evil-doer grieves in both existences.
He grieves and he suffers anguish when he sees the depravity of his own deeds.
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While residing at the Veluvana monastery in Rajagaha, the Buddha uttered Verse (15) of this book, with reference to Cunda, the pork-butcher.

Once, in a village not far away from the Veluvana monastery, there lived a very cruel and hard-hearted pork-butcher, by the name of Cunda. Cunda was a pork-butcher for over fifty-five years; all this time he had not done a single meritorious deed. Before he died, he was in such great pain and agony that he was grunting and squealing and kept on moving about on his hands and knees like a pig for seven whole days. In fact, even before he died, he was suffering as if he were in Niraya (hell). On the seventh day, the pork-butcher died and was reborn in Avici Niraya*. Thus, the evil-doer must always suffer for the evil deeds done by him; he suffers in this world as well as in the next.

In this connection, the Buddha spoke in verse as follows:

"Idha socati pecca socati
pāpakārī ubhayattha socati
so socati so vihaññati
disvā kamma kiliṭṭham attano."

Here he grieves, hereafter he grieves; the evil-doer grieves in both existences. He grieves and he suffers anguish when he sees the depravity of his own deeds.
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 Notes :

* Avici Niraya or Naraka: the lowest, deepest, and the most fearful of all Nirayas (hell).

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