By reason of the stench, O king, such is his sorry plight,
Though once possessed of vision keen he suffers loss of sight.

Past out from Khuradhara hell, grim prison house hard to flee,
Abortion-mongers 'scape not thy dread stream, Vetarani .

Silk-cotton trees with thorns foot long of iron wrought, 'tis said,
On either bank, Vetarani, o'erhang thy gloomy bed.

All clothed in flame, one mass of fire, they stand against the sky,
And all ablaze with brilliant light tower a full league on high.

Here fixed upon sharp thorns red-hot in hell appear to view
Unfaithful husbands, guilty wives, the whole adulterous crew.

Beaten with stripes headlong they fall, revolving in their flight,
And there with mangled limbs they lie awake the livelong night.

At dawn they hide themselves in Iron Cauldron , known to fame,
Big as a mountain 'tis and full of water like to flame.

So clad in folly like a robe these sinners night and day,
For their ill deeds wrought long ago, fit retribution pay.

Whoso as wife bought with his gold her husband shall despise,
Or shall regard his kith and kin with ever scornful eyes,
Her tongue, wrenched out with hook and line, shall suffer agonies.

[270] She sees her tongue drawn out all full of worms, nor may complain,
Silent perforce, in Tapana enduring awful pain.

Slayers of sheep and swine and cows, and followers of the chase,
Fishermen, robbers, cruel all, glozing as fair things base,

Assailed with swords and iron clubs, headlong, these men of blood,
Pursued with spears and arrows fall into a briny flood.

The forger, harried night and day with club of iron forged,
Feeds only on the filthy mess by some poor rogue disgorged.

Crows, ravens, vultures, jackals too, all armed with iron jaw,
Entomb the struggling wretch alive in their insatiate maw.

Who shall with beast hunt beast to death, or bird with bird shall slay,
O'erwhelmed with sin shall sink to hell, to rue the accursed day.

[276] Thus did the king describe all these hells, and now making an opening in the earth he showed the king the angel-worlds and said:

Through virtue stored on earth of old the good to heaven attain,
Here Brahmas, Devas, Indra, lo! ripe fruit of Virtue gain.

This then I say, bear righteous sway throughout thy realm, my king,
For justice done is merit won, nor e'er regret will bring.

[277] On hearing the religious discourse of the Great Being, the king thenceforth was comforted. And the Bodhisatta, after staying some time there, returned to his own place of abode.