Connected Discourses with Young Devas

1Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s Park. Then, when the night had advanced, the young deva Kassapa, of stunning beauty, illuminating the entire Jeta’s Grove, approached the Blessed One.¹⁴¹ Devaputta means literally “son of the devas,” but since devas are depicted as arising in their celestial abodes by way of spontaneous birth, I translate the compound simply as “young deva.” Spk: They are reborn in the laps (aṅka) of devas. The males are called sons of the devas (devaputtā); the females, daughters of the devas (devadhītaro). When they are not known by name it is said, “a certain devatā” (as in the preceding saṁyutta); but those who are known by name are referred to as “a son of the devas named So-and-So” (as here). Spk-pṭ: This last statement is made only as a generalization, for the identity of several devatās is known.
Having approached, he paid homage to the Blessed One, stood to one side, and said to the Blessed One:

2“The Blessed One has revealed the bhikkhu but not the instruction to the bhikkhu.”¹⁴² Spk: When the Buddha taught the Abhidhamma in the Tāvatiṁsa heaven during the seventh rains retreat after his enlightenment, this young deva heard him give a description of the bhikkhu (as at Vibh 245-46), but did not hear his instruction to the bhikkhu, his exhortation to the bhikkhu, “Think in this way, not in that way; attend in this way, not in that way; abandon this, enter and dwell in that” (as at DN I 214,18-21). He speaks with reference to this.

3“Well then, Kassapa, clear up this point yourself.”¹⁴³ Taññev’ ettha paṭibhātu. Lit. “Let it occur to you yourself in regard to this.” Throughout this work I have rendered this peculiar Pāli idiom, and its variants, in ways that best accord with natural English diction.

4, 255 “He should train in well-spoken counsel,
And in the exercise of an ascetic,
In a solitary seat, alone,
And in the calming of the mind.”¹⁴⁴ Well-spoken counsel (subhāsitassa). Spk interprets this to mean that one should train oneself in just the fourfold good conduct of speech (see below 8:5; also MN I 288,1-22), (and in talk) concerning the Four Noble Truths, the ten suitable topics of discussion (see MN III 113,25-31), and the thirty-seven aids to enlightenment. It seems to me more likely the purport is that one should train in accordance with good counsel. Spk offers two interpretations of samaṇupāsana in pāda b: (i) that which is to be attended to by an ascetic, namely, one of the thirty-eight meditation subjects (see n. 133); and (ii) attending upon an ascetic, i.e., serving learned bhikkhus in order to increase one’s wisdom. The first seems more plausible. The calming of the mind (cittūpasama) is the training by way of the eight meditative attainments (aṭṭhasamāpatti).

5This is what the young deva Kassapa said. The Teacher approved. Then the young deva Kassapa, thinking, “The Teacher has approved of me,” paid homage to the Blessed One and, keeping him on the right, he disappeared right there.

2. Kassapa (2)

1At Sāvatthī. Standing to one side, the young deva Kassapa recited this verse in the presence of the Blessed One:

2, 256 “A bhikkhu should be a meditator,
One who is liberated in mind,
If he desires the heart’s attainment,
Bent on that as his advantage.
Having known the world’s rise and fall,
Let him be lofty in mind and unattached.”¹⁴⁵ In pāda b, I read ce with Be, Se, and Ee2, as against ca in Ee1. I construe the convoluted syntax of this verse in accordance with Spk. Spk explains that he should be liberated in mind (vimuttacitto) through (temporary) liberation by devotion to the meditation subject [Spk-pṭ: liberation by insight and jhāna, which are temporary types of liberation, since at this point he has not yet attained arahantship, the final liberation of mind]. The heart’s attainment (hadayassānupatti) is arahantship, which is also the advantage (ānisaṁsa) on which he should be bent. [47]

3. Māgha

1At Sāvatthī. Then, when the night had advanced, the young deva Māgha, of stunning beauty, illuminating the entire Jeta’s Grove, approached the Blessed One. Having approached, he paid homage to the Blessed One, stood to one side, and addressed the Blessed One in verse:

2, 257 “Having slain what does one sleep soundly?
Having slain what does one not sorrow?
What is the one thing, O Gotama,
Whose killing you approve?”

3, 258 “Having slain anger, one sleeps soundly;
Having slain anger, one does not sorrow;
The killing of anger, O Vatrabhū,
With its poisoned root and honeyed tip:
This is the killing the noble ones praise,
For having slain that, one does not sorrow.”

4. Māgadha

1At Sāvatthī. Standing to one side, the young deva Māgadha addressed the Blessed One in verse:

2, 259 “How many sources of light are in the world
By means of which the world is illumined?
We’ve come to ask the Blessed One this:
How are we to understand it?”

3, 260 “There are four sources of light in the world;
A fifth one is not found here.
The sun shines by day,
The moon glows at night,
261 And fire flares up here and there
Both by day and at night.
But the Buddha is the best of those that shine:
He is the light unsurpassed.”

5. Dāmali

1At Sāvatthī. Then, when the night had advanced, the young deva Dāmali, of stunning beauty, illuminating the entire Jeta’s Grove, approached the Blessed One. Having approached, he paid homage to the Blessed One, stood to one side, and recited this verse in the presence of the Blessed One:

2, 262 “This should be done by the brahmin:
Striving without weariness,
That by his abandoning of sensual desires
He does not yearn for existence.”¹⁴⁷ By “brahmin” he refers to the arahant. Spk: This young deva believed that there was no end to the arahant’s duties and that the arahant must continue striving even after reaching arahantship. The Buddha spoke the rejoinder to correct him. The Buddha’s verse is unique (asaṅkiṇṇā) in the Tipiṭaka, for nowhere else does the Buddha criticize the arousing of energy, but here he speaks thus to show that there is a conclusion to the arahant’s duty.

3, 263 “For the brahmin there is no task to be done,
[O Dāmali,” said the Blessed One],
“For the brahmin has done what should be done.
While he has not gained a footing in the river, [48]
A man will strain with all his limbs;
But a footing gained, standing on the ground,
He need not strain for he has gone beyond.

4, 264 “This is a simile for the brahmin, O Dāmali,
For the taintless one, the discreet meditator.
Having reached the end of birth and death,
He need not strain for he has gone beyond.”¹⁴⁸ On the verb āyūhati, encountered in 1:1, see n. 2. To have gone beyond (pāragata) is to have attained Nibbāna.

6. Kāmada

1At Sāvatthī. Standing to one side, the young deva Kāmada said to the Blessed One:

2“Hard to do, Blessed One! Very hard to do, Blessed One!”¹⁴⁹ Spk: This young deva, it is said, had been a meditator in a previous life, but he had thick defilements and thus could suppress them only with much effort. Though he did the work of an ascetic, because his supporting conditions were weak he passed away and took rebirth in the deva world without having reached the plane of the noble ones. He came to the Blessed One’s presence to proclaim the difficulty of the ascetic life.

3, 265 “They do even what is hard to do,
[O Kāmada,” said the Blessed One,]
“The trainees endowed with virtue, steadfast.
For one who has entered the homeless life
Contentment brings along happiness.”

4“That is hard to gain, Blessed One, namely, contentment.”

5, 266 “They gain even what is hard to gain,
[O Kāmada,” said the Blessed One,]
“Who delight in calming the mind,
Whose minds, day and night,
Take delight in development.”

6“That is hard to concentrate, Blessed One, namely, the mind.”

7, 267 “They concentrate even what is hard to concentrate,
[O Kāmada,” said the Blessed One,]
“Who delight in calming the faculties.
Having cut through the net of Death,
The noble ones, O Kāmada, go their way.”

8“The path is impassable and uneven, Blessed One.”¹⁵⁰ Spk: Although the noble path is neither impassable nor uneven (duggamo visamo), this is said because there are many impediments in the preliminary portion of the path.

9, 268 “Though the path is impassable and uneven,
The noble ones walk it, Kāmada.
The ignoble ones fall down head first,
Right there on the uneven path,
But the path of the noble ones is even,
For the noble are even amidst the uneven.”

7. Pañcālacaṇḍa

1At Sāvatthī. Standing to one side, the young deva Pañcālacaṇḍa recited this verse in the presence of the Blessed One:

2, 269 “The one of broad wisdom has indeed found
The opening in the midst of confinement,
The Buddha who discovered jhāna,
The withdrawn chief bull, the sage.”¹⁵¹ At AN IV 449-51 the Venerable Ānanda gives a detailed explanation of the verse. Readings of the aorists in pādas b and c differ among the various eds., but without affecting the meaning. Spk explains that there are two kinds of confinement (sambādha): confinement by the five hindrances and confinement by the five cords of sensual pleasure, the former being intended here. The opening pleasure, the former being intended here. The opening (okāsa) is a name for jhāna. In the analysis given by Ānanda, however, confinement and the opening are explained sequentially: first the five cords of sensual pleasure are called confinement and the first jhāna the opening; then vitakka-vicāra are confinement and the second jhāna the opening; and so on, culminating in the destruction of the āsavas as the final opening. The withdrawn chief bull (paṭilīnanisabho): The Buddha was called a chief bull at 1:38. At AN II 41,29-32 a bhikkhu is said to be paṭilīna, “withdrawn,” when he has abandoned the conceit “I am.”

3, 270 “Even in the midst of confinement they find it,
[O Pañcālacaṇḍa,” said the Blessed One,]
“The Dhamma for the attainment of Nibbāna—
Those who have acquired mindfulness,
Those perfectly well concentrated.”¹⁵² The “Dhamma for the attainment of Nibbāna” (dhammaṁ nibbānapattiyā) is presumably the Noble Eightfold Path. Spk-pṭ: This young deva had been an obtainer of the first jhāna in a previous existence. He spoke his verse to extol the Blessed One for obtaining the bliss of jhāna. The Buddha’s reply is intended to show that the first form-sphere jhāna is a mere fragment of the infinite and immeasurable qualities of a Buddha. By mindfulness (sati) he refers to the mindfulness of insight and of the noble path. Well concentrated (susamāhita) signifies both mundane and supramundane concentration. [49]

8. Tāyana

1At Sāvatthī. Then, when the night had advanced, the young deva Tāyana, formerly the founder of a religious sect, of stunning beauty, illuminating the entire Jeta’s Grove, approached the Blessed One.¹⁵³ Spk explains “religious sect” (tittha) as the sixty-two views (of the Brahmajāla Sutta, DN No. 1). If he founded a sect based on one of these views, how could he have been reborn in heaven? Because he affirmed the doctrine of kamma and did many virtuous deeds. When he was reborn in heaven, he recognized the emancipating quality of the Buddha’s dispensation and came into the Master’s presence in order to recite verses in praise of energy conformable with the dispensation. Having approached, he paid homage to the Blessed One, stood to one side, and recited these verses in the presence of the Blessed One:

2, 271 “Having exerted oneself, cut the stream!
Dispel sensual desires, O brahmin!
Without having abandoned sensual desires,
A sage does not reach unity.¹⁵⁴ In pāda a, parakkamma is an absolutive, not an imperative, and hence in sense should precede chinda sotaṁ. Parakkama, the corresponding noun, is the third member of a set of three terms denoting successive stages in the development of energy : ārambhadhātu , nikkamadhātu, parakkamadhātu; at 46:2, 46:51 they have been translated “the element of arousal, the element of endeavour, the element of exertion.”

3, 272 “If one would do what should be done,
One should firmly exert oneself.
For a slack wanderer’s life
Only scatters more dust.

4, 273 “Better left undone is the misdeed,
A deed that later brings repentance.
Better done is the good deed
Which when done is not repented.

5, 274 “As kusa-grass, wrongly grasped,
Only cuts one’s hand,
So the ascetic life, wrongly taken up,
Drags one down to hell.

6, 275 “Any deed that is slackly done,
Any corrupted vow,
A holy life that breeds suspicion,
Does not yield great fruit.”¹⁵⁵ Spk explains saṅkassaraṁ in pāda c as saṅkāya saritaṁ, “remembered with suspicion”: “It is subject to such doubt and suspicion, ‘He must have done this, he must have done that.’”

7This is what the young deva Tāyana said. Having said this, he paid homage to the Blessed One and, keeping him on the right, he disappeared right there.

8Then, when the night had passed, the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus thus: “Bhikkhus, last night, when the night had advanced, the young deva Tāyana, formerly the founder of a religious sect ... ... approached me ... and in my presence recited these verses:

9, 276–80 “‘Having exerted oneself, cut the stream!… [50] …
Does not yield great fruit.’

10“This is what the young deva Tāyana said. Having said this, he paid homage to me and, keeping me on the right, he disappeared right there. Learn Tāyana’s verses, bhikkhus. Master Tāyana’s verses, bhikkhus. Remember Tāyana’s verses, bhikkhus. Tāyana’s verses are beneficial, bhikkhus, they pertain to the fundamentals of the holy life.”

9. Candimā

1At Sāvatthī. Now on that occasion the young deva Candimā had been seized by Rāhu, lord of the asuras.¹⁵⁶ Candimā is a deva dwelling in the mansion of the moon; the word itself usually simply means the moon. Obviously his seizure by Rāhu represents the lunar eclipse. Then, recollecting the Blessed One, the young deva Candimā on that occasion recited this verse:

2, 281 “Let homage be to you, the Buddha!
O hero, you are everywhere released.
I have fallen into captivity,
So please be my refuge.”

3Then, referring to the young deva Candimā, the Blessed One addressed Rāhu, lord of the asuras, in verse:

4, 282 “Candimā has gone for refuge
To the Tathāgata, the Arahant.
Release Candimā, O Rāhu,
Buddhas have compassion for the world.”

5Then Rāhu, lord of the asuras, released the young deva Candimā and hurriedly approached Vepacitti, lord of the asuras.¹⁵⁷ Although both Rāhu and Vepacitti are described as “lords of the asuras” (asurinda), it seems that Vepacitti is the overlord and Rāhu a subordinate. Vepacitti is the perennial antagonist of Sakka, lord of the devas, as seen at 11:4, 11:5, 11:23, and 35:248. Having approached, shocked and terrified, he stood to one side. Then, as he stood there, Vepacitti, lord of the asuras, addressed him in verse:

6, 283 “Why, Rāhu, did you come in a hurry?
Why did you release Candimā?
Having come as if in shock,
Why do you stand there frightened?”

7, 284 “My head would have split in seven parts,
While living I would have found no ease,
If, when chanted over by the Buddha’s verse,
I had not let go of Candimā.” [51]

10. Suriya

1At Sāvatthī. Now on that occasion the young deva Suriya had been seized by Rāhu, lord of the asuras.¹⁵⁸ Suriya (usually meaning simply the sun) is the deva dwelling in the mansion of the sun. Here the solar eclipse is being represented. Spk, after impressing us with Rāhu’s physical dimensions, offers some interesting insights into ancient Buddhist views about eclipses: When Rāhu sees the sun and moon shining brightly, he becomes jealous and enters their orbital paths, where he stands with mouth agape. It then seems as if the lunar and solar mansions have been plunged into the great hell, and the devas in those mansions all cry out simultaneously in terror. While Rāhu can cover the mansions with his hands, jaw, and tongue, and can even stuff his cheeks with them, he is unable to obstruct their motion. If he did make such an attempt they would split his head and come through the other side or pull him along and push him down [Spk-pṭ: because their motion is determined by the law of kamma and is extremely hard for anyone to stop directly]. Then, recollecting the Blessed One, the young deva Suriya on that occasion recited this verse:

2, 285 “Let homage be to you, the Buddha!
O hero, you are everywhere released.
I have fallen into captivity,
So please be my refuge.”

3Then, referring to the young deva Suriya, the Blessed One addressed Rāhu, lord of the asuras, in verse:

4, 286 “Suriya has gone for refuge
To the Tathāgata, the Arahant.
Release Suriya, O Rāhu,
Buddhas have compassion for the world.

5, 287 “While moving across the sky, O Rāhu,
Do not swallow the radiant one,
The maker of light in darkness,
The disk of fiery might in the gloom.
Rāhu, release my child Suriya.”¹⁵⁹ Pajaṁ mama. Spk: It is said that on the day the Buddha spoke the Mahāsamaya Sutta (DN No. 20) the two young devas Candimā and Suriya attained the fruit of stream-entry. Hence the Blessed One says “my child,” meaning “he is my (spiritual) son.” C.Rh.D’s conjecture (at KS 1:72, n. 2) that the Buddha speaks thus with reference to his own (legendary) solar descent seems unlikely.

6Then Rāhu, lord of the asuras, released the young deva Suriya and hurriedly approached Vepacitti, lord of the asuras. Having approached, shocked and terrified, he stood to one side. Then, as he stood there, Vepacitti, lord of the asuras, addressed him in verse:

7, 288 “Why, Rāhu, did you come in a hurry?
Why did you release Suriya?
Having come as if in shock,
Why do you stand there frightened?”

8, 289 “My head would have split in seven parts,
While living I would have found no ease,
If, when chanted over by the Buddha’s verses,
I had not let go of Suriya.”

1At Sāvatthī. Then, when the night had advanced, the young deva Candimasa, of stunning beauty, illuminating the entire Jeta’s Grove, [52] approached the Blessed One. Having approached, he paid homage to the Blessed One, stood to one side, and recited this verse in the presence of the Blessed One:

2, 290 “They will surely reach to safety
Like deer in a mosquito-free marsh,
Who, having attained the jhānas,
Are unified, discreet, mindful.”¹⁶⁰ Spk glosses kacche va in pāda b by kacche viya, “like an armpit” [Spk-pṭ: in the sense of a cramped place]. Spk: Kaccha (used metaphorically) means either a cramped mountain pass (pabbatakaccha) or a constriction in a river (nadīkaccha).

[The Blessed One:]

3, 291 “They will surely reach the far shore
Like a fish when the net is cut,
Who, having attained the jhānas,
Are diligent, with flaws discarded.”¹⁶¹ Spk: With flaws discarded (raṇañjahā): with defilements discarded (kilesañjahā). In MLDB, in the translation of MN No. 139, araṇa is rendered “nonconflict” or “without conflict,” and sa-raṇa “with conflict.” However, while in both Pāli and Sanskrit raṇa can mean battle or conflict, the Pāli commentators consistently gloss it with raja-kilesa, “dust, defilement.” Thus Ps V 32 has sa-raṇo ti sarajo sakileso, araṇo ti arajo nikkileso. See too v. 585c and n. 398.

12. Veṇhu

1At Sāvatthī. Standing to one side, the young deva Veṇhu recited this verse in the presence of the Blessed One:

2, 292 “Happy indeed are those human beings
Attending on the Fortunate One,
Applying themselves to Gotama’s Teaching,
Who train in it with diligence.”¹⁶³ The reading of pāda c is uncertain: Be and Se read yuñjaṁ (a modified plural participle?), Ee1 & 2 yuñja, and SS yajja. VĀT suggests an absolutive yujja.

3, 293 “When the course of teaching is proclaimed by me,
[O Veṇhu,” said the Blessed One,]
“Those meditators who train therein,
Being diligent at the proper time,
Will not come under Death’s control.”

13. Dīghalaṭṭhi

1Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Rājagaha in the Bamboo Grove, the Squirrel Sanctuary. Then, when the night had advanced, the young deva Dīghalaṭṭhi, of stunning beauty, illuminating the entire Bamboo Grove, approached the Blessed One. Having approached, he paid homage to the Blessed One, stood to one side, and recited this verse in the presence of the Blessed One:

2, 294 “A bhikkhu should be a meditator,
One who is liberated in mind,
If he desires the heart’s attainment,
Bent on that as his advantage.
Having known the world’s rise and fall,
Let him be lofty in mind and unattached.”

14. Nandana

1Standing to one side, the young deva Nandana addressed the Blessed One in verse:

2, 295 “I ask you, Gotama, broad of wisdom—
Unobstructed is the Blessed One’s knowledge and vision:
[53]
What is he like whom they call virtuous?
What is he like whom they call wise?
What is he like who has passed beyond suffering?
What is he like whom the devatās worship?”

3, 296 “One virtuous, wise, of developed mind,
Concentrated, mindful, enjoying jhāna,
For whom all sorrows are gone, abandoned,
A taint-destroyer bearing his final body:

4, 297 It is such a one that they call virtuous,
Such a one that they call wise,
Such a one has passed beyond suffering,
Such a one the devatās worship.”

15. Candana

1Standing to one side, the young deva Candana addressed the Blessed One in verse:

2, 298 “Who here crosses over the flood,
Unwearying by day and night?
Who does not sink in the deep,
Without support, without a hold?”¹⁶⁴ The question and the reply are found, with several differences, at Sn 173-75. I read pāda a with Se, Ee2, and Sn 173 ko sū ’dha, as against kathaṁ su in Be and Ee1; the Skt cited at Ybhūś 10:1 has ka etam oghaṁ tarati (Enomoto, CSCS, p. 52). Spk explains pāda c of the question: below it is without support (appatiṭṭhe), above it is without a hold (anālambe in text, anālambane in gloss). The Pāli words patiṭṭhā and ālambana (or ārammaṇa) have doctrinally important nuances; see n. 2 above and 12:38-40 and 22:53-54.

3, 299 “One always perfect in virtue,
Endowed with wisdom, well concentrated,
One energetic and resolute
Crosses the flood so hard to cross.

4, 300 “One who desists from sensual perception,
Who has overcome the fetter of form,
Who has destroyed delight in existence—
He does not sink in the deep.”¹⁶⁵ In pāda c, I read with Ee1 and SS nandībhavaparikkhīṇo, as against Be, Se, and Ee2 nandīrāgaparikkhīṇo (in both text and Spk). Spk’s gloss on nandīrāga here (tayo kammābhisaṅkhārā ) corresponds so closely to its gloss on nandībhava in v. 2 (see n. 8) that we might well suppose the original text available to the commentator read -bhava- rather than -rāga-. Sn 175 also reads -bhava-, as does the version of the verse cited at Nett 146,22. Spk: By the mention of sensual perception (kāmasaññā) the five lower fetters are implied; by the fetter of form (rūpasaṁyojana ), the five higher fetters; by delight in existence, the three kinds of kammic volitional formations (demeritorious, meritorious, imperturbable—see 12:51). Thus one who has abandoned the ten fetters and the three kinds of kammic formations does not sink in the deep, in the great flood. Or else: sensual perception implies sense-sphere existence; the fetter of form, form-sphere existence; and formless-sphere existence is implied by the former two. Delight in existence denotes the three kinds of kammic formations. Thus one who does not generate the three kinds of volitional formations regarding the three realms of existence does not sink in the deep.

16. Vasudatta

1Standing to one side, the young deva Vasudatta recited this verse in the presence of the Blessed One:

2, 301 “As if smitten by a sword,
As if his head were on fire,
A bhikkhu should wander mindfully
To abandon sensual lust.”

3, 302 “As if smitten by a sword,
As if his head were on fire,
A bhikkhu should wander mindfully
To abandon identity view.”

17. Subrahmā

1 Standing to one side, the young deva Subrahmā addressed the Blessed One in verse:

2, 303 “Always frightened is this mind,
The mind is always agitated [54]
About unarisen problems
And about arisen ones.
If there exists release from fear,
Being asked, please declare it to me.”¹⁶⁷ In pāda c, I read kicchesu with Be, Se, and Ee2, as against kiccesu (duties) in Ee1 and certain SS. Kicchesu is better supported by the comment inSpk: imesu uppannānuppannesu dukkhesu, “these sufferings both arisen and unarisen.”

3, 304 “Not apart from enlightenment and austerity,
Not apart from restraint of the sense faculties,
Not apart from relinquishing all,
Do I see any safety for living beings.”¹⁶⁸ I read pāda a with Be: nāññatra bojjhā tapasā. The reading bojjhaṅga-tapasā, in Se and Ee1 & 2, may have crept into the text from the commentarial paraphrase in Spk, which is most intelligible in the Be reading: Nāññatra bojjhā tapasā ti bojjhaṅgabhāvanañ ca tapoguṇañ ca aññatra muñcitvā sotthiṁ na passāmi. Spk-pṭ lends further support to this reading by glossing bojjhā with bodhito and explaining it as an ablative. The Skt version cited at Ybhūś 5:2 has jñānatapaso (Enomoto, CSCS, p. 8). Spk: Even though the development of the enlightenment factors is mentioned first and restraint of the sense faculties afterwards, sense restraint should be understood first. For when this is mentioned, the fourfold purification of virtue is implied (see Vism 15 , 29-1 6 , 16; Ppn 1:4 2 ). Established on this, a bhikkhu undertakes the ascetic practices, here called austerity (tapa), enters a forest, and by developing a meditation subject he develops the enlightenment factors together with insight. Then the noble path arises in him with Nibbāna as its object; the latter is what is meant by relinquishing all (sabbanissagga). [Spk-pṭ: For here everything comprised in formations is relinquished.] Thus the Blessed One turned the discourse into one on the Four Noble Truths, at the end of which the young deva was established in the fruit of stream-entry.
Spk-pṭ: Though here only his own attainment of distinction is mentioned, it should be understood that the five hundred nymphs were also established in the fruit of stream-entry; for that is said in the commentary to the Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta.
Neither Spk nor Spk-pṭ comments on the single prose line that follows the verse (in Be: idam avoca, pa, tatth’ eva antaradhāyī ti). Perhaps the young deva had acquired such a compelling sense of urgency that he quickly returned to the deva world to practise in accordance with the Buddha’s instructions. The Skt version has an additional verse, which reads in translation:
After a long time at last I see

4This is what the Blessed One said…. He [the young deva] disappeared right there.

18. Kakudha

1Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Sāketa in the Añjana Grove, the Deer Park. Then, when the night had advanced, the young deva Kakudha, of stunning beauty, illuminating the entire Añjana Grove, approached the Blessed One. Having approached, he paid homage to the Blessed One, stood to one side, and said to him:

2“Do you delight, ascetic?”

3“Having gained what, friend?”

4“Then, ascetic, do you sorrow?”

5“What has been lost, friend?”

6“Then, ascetic, do you neither delight nor sorrow?”

7“Yes, friend.”

8, 305 “I hope that you’re untroubled, bhikkhu.
I hope no delight is found in you.
I hope that when you sit all alone
Discontent doesn’t spread over you.”¹⁶⁹ The texts show variations between anagho, anigho, and anīgho in pāda a of vv. 305-7. Ee2 uses anigho throughout.

9, 306 “Truly, I’m untroubled, spirit,
Yet no delight is found in me.
And when I’m sitting all alone
Discontent doesn’t spread over me.”

10, 307 “How are you untroubled, bhikkhu?
How is no delight found in you?
How come, when you sit all alone,
Discontent doesn’t spread over you?”

11, 308 “Delight comes to one who is miserable,
Misery to one filled with delight.
As a bhikkhu undelighted, untroubled:
That’s how you should know me, friend.”

12, 309 “After a long time at last I see
A brahmin who is fully quenched,
A bhikkhu undelighted, untroubled,
Who has crossed over attachment to the world.”¹⁷⁰ The verse differs from v. 1 in pāda c only.

19. Uttara

1Setting at Rājagaha. Standing to one side, the young deva Uttara recited this verse in the presence of the Blessed One: [55]

2, 310 “Life is swept along, short is the life span;
No shelters exist for one who has reached old age.
Seeing clearly this danger in death,
One should do deeds of merit that bring happiness.”

3, 311 “Life is swept along, short is the life span;
No shelters exist for one who has reached old age.
Seeing clearly this danger in death,
A seeker of peace should drop the world’s bait.”

20. Anāthapiṇḍika

1Standing to one side, the young deva Anāthapiṇḍika recited these verses in the presence of the Blessed One:

2, 312 “This indeed is that Jeta’s Grove,
The resort of the Order of seers,
Dwelt in by the Dhamma King,
A place that gives me joy.

3, 313 “Action, knowledge, righteousness,
Virtue, an excellent life:
By this are mortals purified,
Not by clan or wealth.

4, 314 “Therefore a person who is wise,
Out of regard for his own good, [56]
Should carefully examine the Dhamma:
Thus he is purified in it.

5, 315 “Sāriputta truly is endowed with wisdom,
With virtue and with inner peace.
Even a bhikkhu who has gone beyond
At best can only equal him.”

6This is what the young deva Anāthapiṇḍika said. Having said this, he paid homage to the Blessed One and, keeping him on the right, he disappeared right there.

7Then, when the night had passed, the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus thus: “Bhikkhus, last night, when the night had advanced, a certain young deva … approached me … and in my presence recited these verses:

8316–19 “‘This indeed is that Jeta’s Grove, ... At best can only equal him.’

9“This is what that young deva said. Having said this, he paid homage to me and, keeping me on the right, he disappeared right there.”

10When this was said, the Venerable Ānanda said to the Blessed One: “Venerable sir, that young deva must surely have been Anāthapiṇḍika. For Anāthapiṇḍika the householder had full confidence in the Venerable Sāriputta.”

11“Good, good, Ānanda! You have drawn the right inference by reasoning.¹⁷¹ Yāvatakaṁ kho Ānanda takkāya pattabbaṁ anuppattaṁ taṁ tayā. Lit., “Whatever can be reached by reasoning, Ānanda, that you have arrived at.” Spk: The Buddha had spoken about the visit of the young deva without disclosing his name in order to show the great might of the Elder Ānanda’s inferential intelligence. For that young deva, Ānanda, was Anāthapiṇḍika.”

1Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s Park. Then, when the night had advanced, the young deva Siva, of stunning beauty, illuminating the entire Jeta’s Grove, approached the Blessed One. Having approached, he paid homage to the Blessed One, stood to one side, and recited these verses in the presence of the Blessed One:

2, 320 “One should associate only with the good;
With the good one should foster intimacy.
Having learnt the true Dhamma of the good,
One becomes better, never worse.

3, 321 “One should associate only with the good;
With the good one should foster intimacy.
Having learnt the true Dhamma of the good,
Wisdom is gained, but not from another.

4, 322 “One should associate only with the good;
With the good one should foster intimacy.
Having learnt the true Dhamma of the good,
One does not sorrow in the midst of sorrow.

5, 323 “One should associate only with the good;
With the good one should foster intimacy. [57]
Having learnt the true Dhamma of the good,
One shines amidst one’s relations.

6, 324 “One should associate only with the good;
With the good one should foster intimacy.
Having learnt the true Dhamma of the good,
Beings fare on to a good destination.

7, 325 “One should associate only with the good;
With the good one should foster intimacy.
Having learnt the true Dhamma of the good,
Beings abide comfortably.”

8Then the Blessed One replied to the young deva Siva in verse:

9, 326 “One should associate only with the good;
With the good one should foster intimacy.
Having learnt the true Dhamma of the good,
One is released from all suffering.”

22. Khema

1Standing to one side, the young deva Khema recited these verses in the presence of the Blessed One:

2, 327 “Foolish people devoid of wisdom
Behave like enemies towards themselves.
They go about doing evil deeds
Which yield only bitter fruit.

3, 328 “That deed is not well performed
Which, having been done, is then repented,
The result of which one experiences
Weeping with a tearful face.

4, 329 “But that deed is well performed
Which, having been done, is not repented,
The result of which one experiences
Joyfully with a happy mind.”¹⁷³ I follow Se, which adds a terminal ti after the third verse and ascribes the next three verses to the Buddha. No change of speaker is indicated in Be or Ee1.

[The Blessed One:]

5, 330 “One should promptly do the deed
One knows leads to one’s own welfare;
The thinker, the wise one, should not advance
With the reflection of the carter.

6, 331 “As the carter who left the highway,
A road with an even surface,
And entered upon a rugged bypath
Broods mournfully with a broken axle—

7, 332 “So the fool, having left the Dhamma
To follow a way opposed to Dhamma,
When he falls into the mouth of Death
Broods like the carter with a broken axle.”¹⁷⁴ Vv. 330-31 are quoted at Mil 66-67. In v. 330c I read with Be, Se, and Ee2 sākaṭikacintāya; mantā in pāda d must be the nominative of the agent noun mantar. In v. 331a I follow Se and Ee1 & 2, which read panthaṁ, as against Be maṭṭhaṁ; Mil (Ee and Se) reads nāma (a corruption?). Spk glosses pāda d: akkhachinno va jhāyatī ti akkhachinno avajhāyati, which suggests that va is not the emphatic indeclinable but a verbal prefix. Spk, however, takes the va in v. 332d to represent viya. On maccumukha (in v. 332c) as “the mouth of Death” rather than “the face of Death,” see Ja IV 271,7, Ja V 479,29, and Vism 233,21-22 (Ppn 8:20).

23. Serī

1Standing to one side, the young deva Serī addressed the Blessed One in verse:

2, 333 “They always take delight in food,
Both devas and human beings.
So what sort of spirit could it be
That does not take delight in food?”

3, 334 “When they give out of faith
With a heart of confidence,
Food accrues to [the giver] himself
Both in this world and the next.

4, 335 “Therefore, having removed stinginess,
The conqueror of the stain should give a gift.
Merits are the support for living beings
[When they arise] in the other world.” [58]

5“It is wonderful, venerable sir! It is amazing, venerable sir! How well this was stated by the Blessed One:

6, 336–37 “‘When they give out of faith ...
[When they arise] in the other world.’

7“Once in the past, venerable sir, I was a king named Serī, a donor, a philanthropist, one who spoke in praise of giving. At the four gates I had gifts given to ascetics, brahmins, paupers, wayfarers, mendicants, and beggars. Then, venerable sir, the harem women came to me and said: ‘Your majesty gives gifts, but we do not give gifts. It would be good if, with your majesty’s assistance, we too might give gifts and do meritorious deeds.’ It occurred to me: ‘I am a donor, a philanthropist, one who speaks in praise of giving. So when they say, “Let us give gifts,” what am I to say to them?’ So, venerable sir, I gave the first gate to the harem women. There the harem women gave gifts, and my gifts returned to me.

8“Then, venerable sir, my khattiya vassals came to me and said: ‘Your majesty gives gifts, the harem women give gifts, but we do not give gifts. It would be good if, with your majesty’s assistance, we too might give gifts and do meritorious deeds.’ It occurred to me: ‘I am a donor….’ So, venerable sir, I gave the second gate to the khattiya vassals. There the khattiya vassals gave gifts, and my gifts returned to me.

9“Then, venerable sir, my troops came to me … [59] … So, venerable sir, I gave the third gate to the troops. There the troops gave gifts, and my gifts returned to me.

10“Then, venerable sir, the brahmins and householders came to me … So, venerable sir, I gave the fourth gate to the brahmins and householders. There the brahmins and householders gave gifts, and my gifts returned to me.

11“Then, venerable sir, my men came to me and said: ‘Now your majesty is not giving gifts anywhere.’¹⁷⁵ Spk: koci = katthaci. Koci in this sense is probably a contraction of kvaci. When this was said, I told those men: ‘Well then, I say, send half of the revenue generated in the outlying provinces from there to the palace. There itself give half as gifts to ascetics, brahmins, paupers, wayfarers, mendicants, and beggars.’

12“I did not reach any limit, venerable sir, to the meritorious deeds that I did for such a long time, to the wholesome deeds that I did for such a long time, such that I could say: ‘There is just so much merit,’ or ‘There is just so much result of merit,’ or ‘For just so long am I to dwell in heaven.’ It is wonderful, venerable sir! It is amazing, venerable sir! How well this was stated by the Blessed One:

13, 338 “‘When they give out of faith
With a heart of confidence,
Food accrues to [the giver] himself
Both in this world and the next.

14, 339 “‘Therefore, having removed stinginess,
The conqueror of the stain should give a gift.
Deeds of merit are the support for living beings
[When they arise] in the other world.’” [60]

24. Ghaṭīkāra

1Standing to one side, the young deva Ghaṭīkāra recited this verse in the presence of the Blessed One:…

2, 340–52 “Seven bhikkhus reborn in Avihā
Have been fully liberated.…”
... (verses 340–52 = verses 170–82, in 1:50) <138–41>…
Both now inwardly developed,
Bearers of their final bodies. [61]

25. Jantu

1Thus have I heard. On one occasion a number of bhikkhus were dwelling among the Kosalans in a little forest hut on a slope of the Himalayas—restless, puffed up, personally vain, rough-tongued, rambling in their talk, muddle-minded, without clear comprehension, unconcentrated, scatter-brained, loose in their sense faculties.¹⁷⁶ Spk: Restless (uddhatā): of a restless temperament because of perceiving what is unallowable and blameworthy as allowable and blameless (according to the Vinaya), and the converse. Puffed up (unnaḷā): full of hollow conceit like an erect (pithless) reed. Personally vain (capalā): by adorning their bowls and robes, etc. Mukharā = mukhakharā (“mouth-rough”): of rough speech. Rambling in their talk (vikiṇṇavācā): of uncontrolled speech, chattering away pointlessly all day long. Muddle-minded (muṭṭhassatino): with lost mindfulness, devoid of mindfulness, forgetful of whatever they have done. Without clear comprehension (asampajānā): without wisdom. Unconcentrated (asamāhitā): devoid of access and absorption concentration, like a ship cast about by a fierce current. Scatter-brained (vibbhantacittā , lit. “with wandering minds”): like foolish deer on a road. Loose in their sense faculties (pākatindriyā): with open faculties due to lack of restraint, just as when they were laymen.

2Then, on the Uposatha day of the fifteenth, the young deva Jantu approached those bhikkhus and addressed them in verses:

3, 353 “In the past the bhikkhus lived happily,
The disciples of Gotama.
Without wishes they sought their alms,
Without wishes they used their lodgings.
Having known the world’s impermanence,
They made an end to suffering.

4, 354 “But now like headmen in a village
They make themselves hard to maintain.
They eat and eat and then lie down,
Infatuated in others’ homes. ¹⁷⁸ Spk: Through infatuation by defilements [Spk-pṭ: by craving], they are infatuated with the daughters-in-law, etc., in the homes of others.

5, 355 “Having reverently saluted the Saṅgha,
I here speak only about some:
They are rejected, without protector,
Become just like the dead.¹⁷⁹ In pāda b, I read vadāmahaṁ, with Be, Se, and Ee2, as against Ee1 vandāmahaṁ. Ee1 has the former reading in the parallel v. 794b. Spk: As dead bodies, thrown into the charnel ground, are eaten by various predators and even their relatives do not protect them or guard them, so such men are rejected, without protector, in that they do not get any instruction or advice from their preceptors and teachers. They are just like the dead.

6, 356 “My statement is made with reference
To those who dwell in negligence.
As for those who dwell in diligence,
To them I humbly pay homage.”

26. Rohitassa

1At Sāvatthī. Standing to one side, the young deva Rohitassa said to the Blessed One:

2“Is it possible, venerable sir, by travelling to know or to see or to reach the end of the world, where one is not born, does not age, does not die, does not pass away, and is not reborn?”

3“As to that end of the world, friend, where one is not born, does not age, does not die, does not pass away, and is not reborn—I say that it cannot be known, seen, or reached by travelling.” ¹⁸⁰ Spk: Rohitassa posed his question about the end of the world with reference to the stellar world-sphere (cakkavāḷa-loka ), but the Blessed One answered with reference to the world of formations (saṅkhāra-loka).

4“It is wonderful, venerable sir! It is amazing, venerable sir! How well this was stated by the Blessed One: ‘As to that end of the world, friend, … I say that it cannot be known, seen, or reached by travelling.’

5“Once in the past, venerable sir, I was a seer named Rohitassa, son of Bhoja, possessed of spiritual power, able to travel through the sky. [62] My speed was such, venerable sir, that I could move just as swiftly as a firm-bowed archer—trained, skilful, practised, experienced—could easily shoot past the shadow of a palmyra tree with a light arrow.¹⁸¹ This stock description of the archer is also at 20:6 (II 265,27-266,2). Spk: Daḷhadhammo = daḷhadhanu; possessed of a bow of the maximum size (uttamappamāṇena dhanunā samannāgato). A plural daḷhadhammino occurs below at v. 708b. At EV I, n. to 1210, Norman proposes that this form must have been borrowed from a dialect where -nv- > -mm- instead of -nn-. MW lists two Skt words meaning “with firm bows,” dṛḍhadhanvan and dṛḍhadhanvin . We might assume it is the former that appears in Pāli as daḷhadhamma, the latter as daḷhadhammin; see too n. 488. A similar development affected the homonym dhanvan (= desert); see n. 264. My stride was such, venerable sir, that it seemed to reach from the eastern ocean to the western ocean. Then, venerable sir, the wish arose in me: ‘I will reach the end of the world by travelling.’ Possessing such speed and such a stride, and having a life span of a hundred years, living for a hundred years, I travelled for a hundred years, without pausing except to eat, drink, take meals and snacks, to defecate and urinate, to sleep and dispel fatigue; yet I died along the way without having reached the end of the world.

6“It is wonderful, venerable sir! It is amazing, venerable sir! How well this was stated by the Blessed One: ‘As to that end of the world, friend, where one is not born, does not age, does not die, does not pass away, and is not reborn—I say that it cannot be known, seen, or reached by travelling.’”

7“However, friend, I say that without having reached the end of the world there is no making an end to suffering. It is, friend, in just this fathom-high carcass endowed with perception and mind that I make known the world, the origin of the world, the cessation of the world, and the way leading to the cessation of the world.¹⁸² Spk glosses loka with dukkhasacca and each of the other terms by way of the other three noble truths. Thus the Buddha shows: “I do not make known these four truths in external things like grass and wood, but right here in this body composed of the four great elements.” This pithy utterance of the Buddha, which may well be the most profound proposition in the history of human thought, is elucidated at 35:116 by the Venerable Ānanda, who explains that in the Noble One’s Discipline “the world” is “that in the world by which one is a perceiver and conceiver of the world,” i.e., the six sense bases. From Ānanda’s explanation we can draw out the following implications: The world with which the Buddha’s teaching is principally concerned is “the world of experience,” and even the objective world is of interest only to the extent that it serves as the necessary external condition for experience. The world is identified with the six sense bases because the latter are the necessary internal condition for experience and thus for the presence of a world. As long as the six sense bases persist, a world will always be spread out before us as the objective range of perception and cognition. Thus one cannot reach the end of the world by travelling, for wherever one goes one inevitably brings along the six sense bases, which necessarily disclose a world extended on all sides. Nevertheless, by reversing the direction of the search it is possible to reach the end of the world. For if the world ultimately stems from the six sense bases, then by bringing an end to the sense bases it is possible to arrive at the end of the world.
Now the six sense bases are themselves conditioned, having arisen from a chain of conditions rooted in one’s own ignorance and craving (see 12:44 = 35:107). Thus by removing ignorance and craving the re-arising of the six sense bases can be prevented, and therewith the manifestation of the world is terminated. This end of the world cannot be reached by travelling, but it can be arrived at by cultivating the Noble Eightfold Path. Perfect development of the path brings about the eradication of ignorance and craving, and with their removal the underlying ground is removed for the renewed emergence of the six senses, and therewith for the reappearance of a world. For a long philosophical commentary on this sutta by Ñāṇananda, see SN-Anth 2:70-85.

8, 357 “The world’s end can never be reached
By means of travelling [through the world],
Yet without reaching the world’s end
There is no release from suffering.

9, 358 “Therefore, truly, the world-knower, the wise one,
Gone to the world’s end, fulfiller of the holy life,
Having known the world’s end, at peace,
Longs not for this world or another.”

27. Nanda

1Standing to one side, the young deva Nanda recited this verse in the presence of the Blessed One:

2, 359 “Time flies by, the nights swiftly pass;
The stages of life successively desert us.
Seeing clearly this danger in death,
One should do deeds of merit that bring happiness.”

3, 360 “Time flies by, the nights swiftly pass;
The stages of life successively desert us. [63]
Seeing clearly this danger in death,
A seeker of peace should drop the world’s bait.”

28. Nandivisāla

1Standing to one side, the young deva Nandivisāla addressed the Blessed One in verse:

2, 361 “Having four wheels and nine doors,
Filled up and bound with greed,
Born from a bog, O great hero!
How does one escape from it?”

3, 362 “Having cut the thong and the strap,
Having cut off evil desire and greed,
Having drawn out craving with its root:
Thus one escapes from it.”

29. Susīma

1 At Sāvatthī. Then the Venerable Ānanda approached the Blessed One, paid homage to him, and sat down to one side. The Blessed One then said to him: “Do you too, Ānanda, approve of Sāriputta?”¹⁸³ Spk: The Buddha asked this question because he wanted to speak praise of the Elder Sāriputta. He chose to address Ānanda because the two monks were close friends and had deep admiration for each other’s virtues, and he knew Ānanda would answer in an appropriate way.

2“Indeed, venerable sir, who would not approve of the Venerable Sāriputta, unless he were foolish, full of hatred, deluded, or mentally deranged? The Venerable Sāriputta, venerable sir, is wise, one of great wisdom, of wide wisdom, of joyous wisdom, of swift wisdom, of sharp wisdom, of penetrative wisdom.¹⁸⁴ These words of praise are spoken by the Buddha himself of Sāriputta at MN III 25,6-10. Spk explains: Wise (paṇḍita) designates one who possesses the four kinds of skilfulness (kosalla)—in the elements, in the sense bases, in dependent origination, and in what is possible and impossible (MN III 62,4-6). The next series of definitions, which continues for several pages, is drawn from Paṭis II 190-202. Here I give only extracts: One is of great wisdom (mahāpañña) when one has great virtue, concentration, wisdom, liberation, etc., great dwellings and meditative attainments, great development of the thirty-seven aids to enlightenment, great paths and fruits, great direct knowledges, and attainment of Nibbāna, the great ultimate goal. One is of wide wisdom (puthupañña) when one’s knowledge occurs regarding the diverse aggregates, elements, sense bases, etc. (Apparently Paṭis takes Pāli puthu to be from Vedic pṛthak, “distinct,” but pṛthu, “wide,” is more likely the original sense.) One is of joyous wisdom (hāsapañña) when one fulfils all the steps of training full of joy, inspiration, delight, and gladness. One is of swift wisdom (javanapañña) when one swiftly understands all the five aggregates as impermanent, suffering, and nonself. One is of sharp wisdom (tikkhapañña) when one quickly cuts off all defilements and realizes the four paths and fruits in one sitting. One is of penetrative wisdom (nibbedhikapañña) when, full of disgust and revulsion towards all formations, one penetrates and splits apart the mass of greed, hatred, and delusion that had not been penetrated earlier. These terms, and other types of wisdom, are enumerated at 55:62-74.
The Venerable Sāriputta, venerable sir, has few wishes; he is content, secluded, aloof, energetic. The Venerable Sāriputta, venerable sir, is one who gives advice, one who accepts advice, a reprover, one who censures evil. Indeed, venerable sir, who would not approve of the Venerable Sāriputta, unless he were foolish, full of hatred, deluded, or mentally deranged?” [64]

3“So it is, Ānanda, so it is! Indeed, Ānanda, who would not approve of Sāriputta, unless he were foolish, full of hatred, deluded, or mentally deranged? Sāriputta, Ānanda, is wise ... (as above)… unless he were mentally deranged?”

4Then, while this praise of the Venerable Sāriputta was being spoken, the young deva Susīma, accompanied by a great assembly of young devas, approached the Blessed One.¹⁸⁵ Spk: When the Tathāgata and the Elder Ānanda had praised the Elder Sāriputta thus, the devas in 10,000 world systems rose up and praised him with the same sixteen terms. Then the young deva Susı̄ma, who had formerly (as a human being) been a pupil of Sāriputta, decided to approach the Blessed One with his own retinue and recite the same praise of his preceptor. Spk does not say whether this Susı̄ma is identical with the protagonist of 12:70. A young deva of this name is also mentioned at 11:2 as a subordinate of Sakka.
Having approached, he paid homage to the Blessed One, stood to one side, and said to him: “So it is, Blessed One! So it is, Fortunate One! Indeed, venerable sir, who would not approve of the Venerable Sāriputta … (all as above)… unless he were mentally deranged? In my case too, venerable sir, no matter what assembly of young devas I have approached, I have often heard this same report: ‘The Venerable Sāriputta is wise … one who censures evil. Indeed, who would not approve of the Venerable Sāriputta, unless he were foolish, full of hatred, deluded, or mentally deranged?’”

5Then, while this praise of the Venerable Sāriputta was being spoken, the young devas in Susīma’s assembly—elated, gladdened, full of rapture and joy—displayed diverse lustrous colours.¹⁸⁶ Spk: Elsewhere uccāvaca means: ucca = excellent (paṇīta) + avaca = inferior (hīna). But here it means diverse (nānāvidhā ), in apposition to vaṇṇanibhā. For the blue young devas in the assembly became exceptionally blue, and so too the yellow, red, and white young devas became exceptionally yellow, red, and white. To illustrate this the four similes are given. Just as a beryl gem—beautiful, of fine quality, eight-faceted, of excellent workmanship—when placed on a brocade cloth, shines and beams and radiates, so too the young devas in Susīma’s assembly [65] … displayed diverse lustrous colours.

6And just as an ornament of finest gold—very skilfully burnished in a furnace by an adroit goldsmith—when placed on a brocade cloth, shines and beams and radiates, so too the young devas in Susīma’s assembly … displayed diverse lustrous colours.

7And just as, when the night is fading, the morning star shines and beams and radiates, so too the young devas in Susīma’s assembly ... displayed diverse lustrous colours.¹⁸⁷ Be and Ee2 include here the phrase saradasamaye viddhe vigatavalāhake deve, but as this seems to be an interpolation based on the following paragraph I have followed Se and Ee1, which omit it.

8And just as in the autumn, when the sky is clear and cloudless, the sun, ascending in the sky, dispels all darkness from space as it shines and beams and radiates,¹⁸⁸ The simile recurs at 22:102 and 45:147. Spk glosses nabhaṁ abbhussakkamāno (as in Be) with ākāsaṁ abhilaṅghanto and says this shows the “tender time of the sun” [Spk-pṭ: the time when it is neither too low nor too high]. The verb abbhussakkati comes from the root sakk, and has no relation to the adjective sukka as Geiger supposes. so too the young devas in Susīma’s assembly—elated, gladdened, full of rapture and joy—displayed diverse lustrous colours.

9Then, with reference to the Venerable Sāriputta, the young deva Susīma recited this verse in the presence of the Blessed One:

10, 363 “He is widely known to be a wise man,
Sāriputta, who is free of anger;
Of few wishes, gentle, tamed,
The seer adorned by the Teacher’s praise.”

11Then the Blessed One, with reference to the Venerable Sāriputta, replied to the young deva Susīma in verse:

12, 364 “He is widely known to be a wise man,
Sāriputta, who is free of anger;
Of few wishes, gentle, tamed,
Developed, well tamed, he awaits the time.”¹⁸⁹ I read pāda d with SS thus: kālaṁ kaṅkhati bhāvito sudanto. This reading is suggested by VĀT, who writes: “The third word has been removed by Be and Se, no doubt in the belief that it is a Śloka pāda (failing, however, to regularize the cadence). But if one takes it as an Aupacchandasaka pāda there is no need to remove anything. Confirmation is got from Sn 516, the alteration of sa danto to sudanto being appropriate for the different contexts.” Spk does not offer help with the reading but explains the sense: “He awaits the time of his parinibbāna. For the arahant does not delight in death or yearn for life; he yearns for the time like a worker standing awaiting his day’s wage.” Spk then quotes Th 1003, which may account for the replacement of bhāvito by bhatiko in Ee1. To obtain a Śloka line, Ee2 retains bhāvito but deletes sudanto.

30. Various Sectarians

1Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Rājagaha in the Bamboo Grove, the Squirrel Sanctuary. Then, when the night had advanced, a number of young devas, disciples of various sectarian teachers—Asama and Sahalī and Niṅka and Ākoṭaka and Vetambarī and Māṇavagāmiya—of stunning beauty, [66] illuminating the entire Bamboo Grove, approached the Blessed One. Having approached, they paid homage to the Blessed One and stood to one side.¹⁹⁰ Spk: “These young devas were proponents of kamma; therefore they performed meritorious deeds and were reborn in heaven. Thinking that they had been reborn there on account of their confidence in their respective teachers, they came to the Buddha in order to recite verses in praise of those teachers.” Both Pūraṇa Kassapa and Makkhali Gosāla advocated doctrines that were opposed to the Buddhist teaching on kamma; their teachings are classified among the views that normally lead to a bad rebirth.

2Then, standing to one side, the young deva Asama spoke this verse referring to Pūraṇa Kassapa in the presence of the Blessed One:

3, 365 “In injuring and killing here,
In beating and extortion,
Kassapa did not recognize evil
Nor see any merit for oneself.
He indeed taught what is worthy of trust:
That teacher deserves esteem.”¹⁹¹ The verse is a concise statement of Pūraṇa Kassapa’s doctrine of nonaction (akiriyavāda), for which see DN I 52,22-53,4 and 24:6 (in the latter source no ascription of the view to a teacher is made). A detailed account of the teachings of the six “heretical teachers” (of whom four are mentioned here and all six just below at 3:1) can be found in the Sāmaññaphala Sutta, DN No. 2; for a translation with commentary, see Bodhi, The Discourse on the Fruits of Recluseship, esp. pp. 6-9, 19-26, 69-86. Spk paraphrases: “In declaring that there is no result of evil or merit, he taught to beings what is trustworthy as the foundation, the support; therefore he deserves esteem, veneration, worship.”

4Then the young deva Sahalī spoke this verse referring to Makkhali Gosāla in the presence of the Blessed One:

5, 366 “By austerity and scrupulousness
He attained complete self-restraint.
He abandoned contentious talk with people,
Refrained from falsehood, a speaker of truth.
Surely such a one does no evil.”¹⁹³ The verse alludes to Makkhali’s style of ascetic practice but, strangely, makes no mention of his doctrines. Spk explains his austerity (tapa) as bodily mortification and his scrupulousness (jigucchā) as the loathing of evil [Spk-pṭ: the undertaking of the vow of nudity, etc., in the belief that this is the way to eliminate evil]. This explanation shows that Spk regards tapojigucchā here as a collective dvanda compound, “austerity and scrupulousness,” and so I have rendered it. Sv III 834,37, however, commenting on DN III 40,13-52,22 (where the Buddha gives a long disquisition on how tapojigucchā is imperfect and perfect (aparipuṇṇā, paripuṇṇā)), explains the compound as a tappurisa meaning “scrupulousness by austerity”: Tapojigucchā ti viriyena pāpajigucchā pāpavivajjanā; “Austerity-scrupulousness : scrupulousness in regard to evil, the avoidance of evil, by means of energy.” Tapassī and jegucchī (the corresponding nouns of personal reference) are used to designate separate factors of the Bodhisatta’s “fourfold holy life” practised before his enlightenment at MN I 77,23-27 and 78,32-36. See too Basham, pp. 109-15, for a description of Ājı̄vika asceticism.

6Then the young deva Niṅka spoke this verse referring to Nigaṇṭha Nātaputta in the presence of the Blessed One:

7, 367 “A scrupulous discerning bhikkhu,
Well restrained by the four controls,
Explaining what is seen and heard:
Surely, he could not be a sinner.”¹⁹⁴ Nigaṇṭha Nātaputta is identical with Mahāvı̄ra, the historical progenitor of Jainism. His discipline of restraint by the four controls (cātuyāmasaṁvara) is described at DN I 57,25-27 and MN I 377,1-2. At MLDB, p. 482, the formula is translated: “(he is) curbed by all curbs, clamped by all curbs, cleansed by all curbs, and claimed by all curbs.” It is questionable whether either the text or its commentary (Sv I 168-69, Ps III 58-59) represents a genuine Jaina tradition.

8Then the young deva Ākoṭaka spoke this verse referring to various sectarian teachers in the presence of the Blessed One:

9, 368 “Pakudhaka Kātiyāna and the Nigaṇṭha,
Along with Makkhali and Pūraṇa:
Teachers of companies, attained to ascetic stature:
They were surely not far from superior men.”¹⁹⁵ Pakudhaka Kātiyāna is an alternative spelling of Pakudha Kaccāyana, whose doctrine of the seven bodies (sattakāya) is described at DN I 56,21-57,34 and at 24:8. Spk says that the statement that “they were not far from superior men” means, in effect, that they were superior men (sappurisa), i.e., ariyans or noble ones.

10Then the young deva Vetambarī replied to the young deva Ākoṭaka in verse:

11, 369 “Even by howling along the wretched jackal
Remains a vile beast, never the lion’s peer.
So though he be the teacher of a group,
The naked ascetic, speaker of falsehood,
Arousing suspicion by his conduct,
Bears no resemblance to superior men.”¹⁹⁶ In pāda a, Be and Se read sahācaritena; Ee1 reads sagāravena, corrected in Ee2 to sahāravena, “along with (his) howling.” Spk-pṭ supports this: “By merely making a howl along with the roar of the lion; that is, the jackal (is not the lion’s equal) merely by making a jackal’s howl at the same time that the lion makes its lion’s roar.” The jackal and the lion form a classical pair of opposites in ancient Indian literature; see Ja Nos. 143 and 335, where a jackal does himself to death trying to emulate the lion’s prowess in hunting, and especially Ja No. 172, where a jackal shames a group of young lions to silence by trying to imitate their roar. [67]

12Then Māra the Evil One took possession of the young deva Vetambarī and recited this verse in the presence of the Blessed One:

13, 370 “Those engaged in austerity and scrupulousness,
Those protecting their solitude,
And those who have settled on form,
Delighting in the world of devas:
Indeed, these mortals instruct rightly
In regard to the other world.”

14Then the Blessed One, having understood, “This is Māra the Evil One,” replied to Māra the Evil One in verse:

15, 371 “Whatever forms exist here or beyond,
And those of luminous beauty in the sky,
All these, indeed, you praise, Namuci,
Like bait thrown out for catching fish.”¹⁹⁸ Namuci is a name of Māra, which Spk-pṭ (to 4:1) explains as meaning “he does not free” (na muci): vaṭṭadukkhato aparimuttapaccayattā namuci; “He is called Namuci because he does not let one get free from the suffering of the round.” Spk paraphrases the Buddha’s remark: “Just as a fisherman throws out bait at the end of a hook for the purpose of catching fish, so, by praising these forms, you throw them out in order to catch living beings.” See 35:230.

16Then, in the Blessed One’s presence, the young deva Māṇavagāmiya recited these verses referring to the Blessed One:

17, 372 “Vipula is called the best of mountains
Among the hills of Rājagaha,
Seta, the best of snow-clad mountains,
The sun, the best of travellers in the sky.

18, 373 “The ocean is the best body of water,
The moon, the best of nocturnal lights,
But in this world together with its devas
The Buddha is declared supreme.”

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