The Buddha-Carita or The Life of Buddha by Ven. Aśvaghoṣa

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Buddha-carita, or The Life of Buddha - 179 aśaknuvato ’pyavaśāḥ kṣuttarṣaśramapīḍitāḥ | go ’śvabhūtāśca vāhyate pratodakṣatamūrtayaḥ || 14.24 (14.23) 24. ‘Even though powerless and helpless, oppressed by hunger, thirst, and fatigue, they are driven along as oxen and horses, their bodies wounded with goads. vāhyate gajabhūtāśca balīyāso ’pi durbalaiḥ | akuśakliṣṭamūrdhānastāḍitāḥ pādapārṣṇibhiḥ || 14.25 (14.24) 25. ‘They are driven along, when born as elephants, by weaker creatures than themselves for all their strength, — their heads tormented by the hook and their bodies kicked by foot and heel. satsvapyanyeṣu duḥkheṣu duḥkha yatra viśeṣataḥ | parasparavirodhācca parādhīnatayaiva ca || 14.26 (14.25) 26. ‘And with all these other miseries there is an especial misery arising from mutual enmity and from subjection to a master. khasthāḥ khasthairhi bādhyate jalasthā jalacāribhiḥ | sthalasthāḥ sthalasasthaistu prāpyate cetaretaraiḥ || 14.27 (14.26) 27. ‘Air-dwellers are oppressed by air-dwellers, the denizens of water by the denizens of water, those that dwell on dry land are made to suffer by the dwellers on dry land in mutual hostility. upapannāstathā ceme mātsaryākrātacetasaḥ | pitloke nirāloke kpaṇa bhujate phalam || 14.28 (14.27) 28. ‘And others there are who, when born again, with their minds filled with envy, reap the miserable fruit of their actions in a world of the Pits destitute of all light; sūcīchidropamamukhāḥ parvatopamakukṣayaḥ | kṣuttarṣajanitairduḥkhaiḥ pīḍyate duḥkhabhāginaḥ || 14.29 (14.28) 29. ‘Having mouths as small as the eye of a needle and bellies as big as a mountain, these miserable wretches are tortured with the pains of hunger and thirst. puruṣo yadi jānīta mātsaryasyedśa phalam | sarvathā śivivaddadyāccharīrāvayavānapi || 14.30 (14.30) 30. ‘If a man only knew that such was the consequence of selfishness, he would always give to others even pieces of his own body like Śibi. āśayā samabhikrātā ghāryamāṇāḥ svakarmabhiḥ | labhate na hyamī bhoktu pravddhānyaśucīnyapi || 14.31 (14.29) 31. ‘Rushing up filled with hope but held back by their former deeds, they try in vain to eat anything large, however impure.
Buddha-carita, or The Life of Buddha - 180 ime ’nye naraka prāpya garbhasajñe ’śucihrade | upapannā manuṣyeṣu duḥkhamarchati jatavaḥ || 14.32 (14.31) 32. ‘Others, having found a hell in an impure lake called the womb, are born amongst men and there suffer anguish. [Here ends the original part of Buddhacarita] 32. 1 At the first even at the moment of birth they are gripped by sharp hands, as if sharp swords were piercing them, whereat they weep bitterly. 33. They are loved and cherished and guarded by their kindred who bring them up with every care, only to be defiled by their own various deeds as they pass from suffering to greater suffering. 34. And in this state the fools, obsessed with desire, are borne along in the everflowing stream, thinking all the more, ‘this is to be done and this is to be done’. 35. These others, who have accumulated merit, are born in heaven, and are terrible burned by the flames of sensual passion (kāma), as by a fire. 36. And from there they fall, still not satiated with the objects of sense, with eyes turned upwards, their brilliance gone, and wretched at the fade of their garlands. 37. And as their lovers fall helplessly, the Apsarases regard them pitifully and catch their clothes with their hands. 38. Some look as if they were falling to earth with their ropes of pearls swaying, as they try to hold up their lovers falling miserably from the pavilions. 39. Others, wearing ornaments and garlands of many kinds and grieved at their fall into suffering, follow them with eyes unsteady with sympathy. 40. In their love for those who are falling, the trops of Apsarases beat their breasts with their hands and, distressed, as it were, with great affliction, remain attached to them. 41. The dwellers in Paradise (svarga?) fall distressed to earth, lamenting, “Alas, grove of Caitraratha! Alas, heavenly lake! Alas, Mandākinī! Alas, beloved!” 42. Seeing that Paradise, obtained by many labours, is uncertain and transitory, and that such suffering will be caused by seperation from it, 1 [Ed: The conclusion of this chapter is taken from Johnson’s translation, which starts at verse 32. For the most part I have omitted the footnotes, which are mainly concerned with the interpretation of the Tibetan and Chinese texts on which the translation is based. As Johnson’s renderings are a little idiosyncratic I have entered the Sanskrit words into the text in brackets where they seem to be certain.]
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The Buddha-Carita or The Life of Buddha by Ven. Aśvaghoṣa

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