- Punishment for Betraying a Heavenly Relationship
- 1 In April 1907, before traveling from Gaeng-mahng Village to Tae-in County, Sahng-jeh-nim sent Shin Wun-il ahead to reserve a room at an inn.
- 2 The next day, Sahng-jeh-nim left Gaeng-mahng Village and, on the way to Tae-in, stopped at an inn. There, He said to Hyung-yul,
- 3 “I will stay here for the night. Go on ahead, spend the night in Tae-in with Wun-il, and tomorrow morning wait for Me at the Ha-ma-jung-ee Crossroads.”
- 4 Hyung-yul joined Wun-il in Tae-in, and in the morning, they went to the crossroads. The area was crowded for market day.
- 5 Sahng-jeh-nim met them, and together they went to a nearby inn. Sahng-jeh-nim said, “Today, I am going to use lightning. Bring Me some rice wine.”
- 6 Wun-il served Sahng-jeh-nim some rice wine. After drinking, Sahng-jeh-nim picked up a wooden club; suddenly, there was a blast of wind, heavy rain, and loud cracks of thunder and lightning.
- 7 When the storm ceased a while later, Sahng-jeh-nim said to Wun-il, “You will hear something at Shin Gyung-wun’s house. Go quickly and bring Me the news.”
- 8 Shortly after Wun-il had arrived at Gyung-wun’s house, a firewood seller came in to take shelter from the rain.
- 9 The firewood seller said, “I witnessed an astonishing event today. On my way here, I saw an old woman and a young woman quarreling in the street. The young woman was the old woman’s daughter-in-law.
- 10 Yesterday, less than a week after the daughter-in-law had given birth to a son, her husband died. Without taking care of her late husband’s funeral, the young woman deserted her baby boy and mother-in-law.
- 11 The old woman ran after her, begging, ‘Please take your son with you and raise him.’ But the young woman would not change her mind and continued on her way.
- 12 Unable to control her anger any longer, the old woman shouted, ‘May heaven strike that damned woman dead with a bolt of lightning!’
- 13 At that very moment, a bolt of lightning struck the young woman dead.
- 14 It is clear that heaven knows all.”
- 15 After Wun-il reported this, Sahng-jeh-nim said,
- 16 “This morning, when I passed by an inn in Mool-mahng Village, I saw a young woman hurrying along, shaking the morning dew from her dress.
- 17 Soon, an old woman came and asked Me if I had seen a young woman. She then told Me the story in detail. The young woman, who had married of her own free will, had committed a transgression against the way of humanity.
- 18 A marriage arranged by parents is just an agreement made by people, but a marriage decided by a couple’s own will is a heavenly bond.
- 19 An arranged marriage can be changed, but a heavenly bond cannot. How can anyone who violates the way of humanity and betrays the vow of a heavenly bond escape punishment from heaven?
- 20 It was immoral not to have the funeral ceremony and to abandon her baby the day after her husband’s death. That is why I struck her with lightning.”
- (JSD Dojeon 3,119)
