Those who act wickedly, O listener, repeatedly experience suffering both of the body and the mind. The most sinful among men endure severe afflictions, such as tormenting diseases of the abdomen. Some are born maimed—perhaps with only one wing, or with a single eye, or with deformed nails—while others are plagued by various illnesses. There are those whose bodies are consumed by leprosy, their flesh falling away, or who are marked by white leprosy; all these conditions arise according to their own past deeds. Some suffer pain in the womb, others endure agony in their eyes, or are troubled by asthma, pain in the heart, or pain in the private parts. Such people are beset by many harsh and terrible diseases as a result of their actions. The messengers of justice are instructed to punish, in due order, those who speak falsely. Among false speech, four kinds are recognized: whether the subject is secret or not, whether through slander or through reviling words. Speech that destroys affection, that is harsh, or marked by broken conduct, speech that lacks proper tone, is countless in its forms, and is ultimately meaningless—these are all condemned. Those who babble without purpose, who are unjust, harsh, deceitful, and who corrupt others with their words, fall into suffering. Those who cannot tolerate hearing the good qualities of others praised are, in turn, reborn among lower creatures, taking the forms of insects and birds. There, evil-doers are tormented for a long and dreadful time, cooked in suffering. They become despised, unrecognized, their minds lost and without reputation. Abandoned by friends, rejected by their own kin, they even bear the burden of others’ sins upon their heads. Such is the succession of suffering that befalls those who speak falsely. Furthermore, those who commit acts of theft and seize things by force, those who oppress the poor and deceive the people in their villages, all meet with their due fate. At the appointed time, those who steal and inflict suffering upon the world, those who are skilled in making false accusations, who bring harm in matters of justice, who misappropriate deposits, and who cause delusion—such men are cast again and again into dreadful hells. When at last their actions are exhausted, they may obtain human birth. Yet, in whatever land they are born, there is fear—fear of thieves, fear of hunger, or fear from the king. Calamities afflict the land, and greed pervades the cities. They are afflicted by great suffering, tormented even while dwelling in the womb. Their bodies may be exposed at the veins, or deformed, or afflicted by diseases of the wind. Their offspring will not be blessed with good form or auspicious marks. In the world, they are like a miserable, terrifying sound—ripe with suffering—lacking beauty, virtue, strength, and character. Such people, destroyers of karma, become as insignificant as blades of grass. In the face of good deeds, they are greatly bewildered. Whatever actions they undertake, in all cases they are subject to decline. Whatever unwholesome deeds exist, they flourish in that land. Even when rainfall is good, one should avoid the fields of such people. For them, there is neither happiness nor liberation in human existence. Those engaged in acts of theft experience only a continuous succession of suffering.