"King Evil-Born immediately sent men to the prison to bring Venerable Katyayana before him."
Xuanzang looked at Tuo Jie on the floor.
"Venerable Katyayana was brought into the great hall. His expression remained serene, without a trace of the fear a prisoner might show."
"King Evil-Born sat down before him. He recounted all eight utterly terrifying nightmares from the previous night, along with the dire omens the Brahmin had pronounced."
"At last, King Evil-Born frowned and said, 'I do not wish to kill those eight, yet I fear those eight dreams. Since you are a disciple of the Buddha and claim to possess great wisdom, interpret these eight dreams for me. If you cannot, you will die.'"
"After hearing him out, Katyayana smiled faintly, his expression serene, without a trace of alarm."
Xuanzang pressed his palms together, his voice sinking slightly.
"He said to King Evil-Born, 'Great King, you need not fear. These eight dreams do not foretell the destruction of your kingdom or your death. They are portents of your karmic retribution in a future life.'"
"King Evil-Born pressed him. 'What do you mean by karmic retribution in a future life?'"
"Katyayana answered, 'The evil deeds Your Majesty has committed in this life have already sown evil seeds. These eight dreams are the eight tortures you will personally endure when you fall into Hell in a future life! Please allow me to explain them one by one.'"
Xuanzang said slowly, "The first dream: a mountain collapsed upon you."
"In this life, Great King, you have relied on royal authority and might, always using power to crush others and strength to bully the weak."
"In your next life, you will suffer the punishment of crushing mountains. Two iron mountains will close together, crushing your body and pulverizing flesh and