讲述佛陀应波斯匿王因夜闻地狱众生哀号而生的惊惧所说的本生故事：一位古代 Bārāṇasī 王在半夜听到八种怪异声响而惶恐不安，后由菩萨向他说明这些声响其实皆有自然成因。

A Jātaka in which the Buddha, responding to King Pasenadi’s alarm over hearing cries from beings in hell, tells of a former king of Bārāṇasī who heard eight strange midnight sounds that terrified him until the Bodhisatta showed they had entirely natural causes.