Chapter 15 - The Death of Sinners

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Somaśarman said:

1. O good and beautiful lady, tell me, if you know it, in detail, what characteristics appear at the death of sinners.

Sumanā said:

2-4a. O my dear husband, listen; I shall tell you what I learnt from the Siddha about the death of the sinners and what its marks are. I (shall) also tell you about the place and actions of great sinners. A very wicked man reaches a region which is inauspicious due to its being impure on account of excretion and urine; and has a painful death.

4b-7a. That (wicked man) being afflicted, reaches the land of a cāṇḍāla, or a land roamed over by donkeys or resorts to a prostitute’s house, and dies in a painful condition; (or) he dies after having gone to the house of a seller of spirituous liquors which is full of bones, skins and nails, and full of evils and blemishes. Having reached that (place) the wicked one surely dies; (or) having reached some other place with evil practices, he dies.

7b-12a. Now I shall tell you the movements of (Yama’s) messengers, desiring (to take) him (to Yama’s abode), and frightful, terrible, fearful, very dark and of large bellies, of tawny eyes, yellow and dark-blue, or very white and large-bellied, very tall, very dreadful, resembling dry flesh and marrow, of fearful fangs, fearful, having faces like those of lions and having serpents in their hands. O you very intelligent one, seeing them he trembles and is repeatedly afflicted. All the messengers make loud cries like those of jackals into his ears. Having tied him with nooses round his neck, waist and belly, and overcoming him knock him down. He repeatedly cries—‘Ah’, ‘Ah’.

12b-15a. Now I shall tell the actions of the dying sinners who have taken away another’s wealth, molested another’s wife, not returned debt or wealth of others taken through greed, enjoyment and infatuation. Al the (messengers) seize the neck of the dying man who commits the great sin of accepting a gift from a bad person.

15b-16a. Whatever sins were formerly committed by that great sinner come to his throat; (this) does not (happen) in any other manner.

16b-21a. Due to obstruction caused by excessive phlegm they produce affliction. Due to servere pains his throat snorts. He weeps and trembles very much. He repeatedly remembers his mother, father, brother and wife. Being deluded by great sin he again forgets them. His life, full of many afflictions, does not depart. He falls, trembles and swoons again and again. The deluded one, thus full of suffering, experiences grief. O my dear husband, listen. His life going (out) with great grief and pain, resorts to his anus and pass out (through it).

21b-22. In this way a being, who is greatly deluded and who is full of greed and infatuation, is carried by Yama’s messengers. I shall now tell you about the suffering.