Post No. 14,489
Date uploaded in London – 8 May 2025
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Buddhist scriptures mention four states of suffering and they are Naraka/hell, Paraloka/ the world of spectres, Asuraloka/ the world of demons and Tirachchana/ the world of brute.
Sanskrit work on Buddha, Lalitavistara, also mentioned Niraiya/Naraka.
Tamil Sangam Literature
Tamils used Niraiya, a Sanskrit word, in 5 or 6 places in Sangam literature. They also used another Tamil word Alaru for hell.
Asvaghosa of first century CE wrote the biography of Buddha in Sanskrit . He agrees with other Pali scriptures and say,
“Beings of sinful acts are born in the spheres of misery and these foul minded reap the fruit of their Karma and lamentation. They are born in dreadful Naraka . The sinners, by reason of their various actions arising from the activities of the mind are born among various animals. And those who are observed with stinginess are born in the dark world of Pretas and reap the reward of wretchedness.
Manu , Tamil saint Tirumular also told us in their works about animal births of evil people or sinners.
In these spheres all the hells are full of excessive torture. The animals eat each other and suffer from hunger. Pretas are thirsty and hungry while human beings suffer because of longing. This stream of cycle of existence has no support and subject to death. Creatures thus beset on all sides find no resting place”.
Kinds of Hell
In Buddhist literature there are two kinds of hell, hot and cold. Each kind is of eight types; the hot hells are Avichi, Pratapan , Tapan, Maharaurava, Raurava Sanghat Kalsutra and Sanjiva. The cold hells are Arbud, Nirarbud, Attata, Hahava, Huhuva, Utpala, Padama and Mahapadama.
In the Pali canon we read of these and a few more hells- Atata, Abbuda, Aiabbuda, Ahaha, Ababa, Kumeda, Uppaloke, Sogandhika, Pundarika, and Peduna.
In the northern Buddhism the number of hells is still greater.
Mahavastu mentions eight major hells and each having sixteen minor hells. Maudgalayam visited these hells and saw beings enduring different torments. He advocated to strife after knowledge, win it and be enlightened. Do good and live the holy life. And in this world no sinful act must be committed.
Each of the major hell is attached to sixteen secondary hells. Each of the major hell has connection with four doors and each door is connected with four hells I .e. Kukkla, Kunapa, Salmati vana and the river Vaitarani. Thus all the 8 major hells and 16 minor hells are interconnected.
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Asvaghosa ‘s description
Various kinds of hells are described by Asvaghosa in his book Buddhacarita.
Beings according to their Karma are born animals such as oxen or horses and are driven along their bodies, wounded with goads. Or elephants who are driven despite their weaklings are hit with foot and heel and are tormented by Ankusa on the head.
Animal kingdom in the hells is placed above the hells. They live in our planet, the world of men. This is a minor hell.
Asvaghosa refers to culprits roasted or boiled on burning red hot coal or in iron cauldrons.
Some culprits are hung upside down and are boiled like meat in iron cauldron according to early Nirayasutra preserved in Asokavadana.
The Tapan and Pratapan hells are notable for heat where the condemned are roasted and baked while in Sanjiva hell the beings are hacked upside with knives and blades.
Some beings in hell are devoured by fierce dogs with iron teeth and by gloating iron beaks, as if by crows of iron.
In Kunapa hell they are devoured by black creatures with jaws of iron.
In some exhausted with burning, long for cool shade and enter like captives the dark sword leaved forest.
In Kumba hell sharp sword leaves strike against their bodies and they bleed. In Kukkula hell they are condemned to burn with hot ashes and sparks. In hell the arms are chopped up with axes like wood.
In Sanjiva hell they are destroyed with hatches and knives in Kalsutra hell their limbs are lashed with black wire. They are beaten and maimed and cut piecemeal with hatches and saws.
Asvagosha’s description and references to various hells are in agreement with the description of hells in 2200 year old Maha Vastu.
Buddhist scriptures have copied everything from Manu smriti and Hindu Puranas. So, they must be earlier than Maha Vastu.
Source book :
Asvaghosa and His Times, Sarla Khosla, 1986 with my inputs
—Subham–
Tags- Torture of Human beings, in the Hell , Buddhist literature, Niraya, Naraka, Torture, Sangam literature.
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