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Sutta Nipāta 2.2 Sutta Nipāta 2.2Anthology of Discourses 2.2
Āmagandhasutta Raw StenchAccording to the commentary (SnA), this poem is a dialogue between a brahman ascetic, Tissa, and the previous Buddha, Kassapa, who—unlike Gotama—was born into the brahman caste.Putrefaction
“Sāmākaciṅgūlakacīnakāni ca, “Those peacefully eating millet, Job’s-tears, green gram,“The good eat properly obtained
Pattapphalaṁ mūlaphalaṁ gavipphalaṁ; leaf-fruit, tuber-fruit, water-chestnut-fruit,millet, wild grains, broomcorn,
Dhammena laddhaṁ satamasnamānā, obtained in line with the Dhamma,greens, tubers, and grapes.
Na kāmakāmā alikaṁ bhaṇanti. don’t desire sensual-pleasures or tell falsehoods.They don’t lie to get what they want.
Yadasnamāno sukataṁ suniṭṭhitaṁ, But when eating what is well-made, well-prepared,But when you eat delicious food,
Parehi dinnaṁ payataṁ paṇītaṁ; exquisite, given, offered by others,nicely cooked and prepared, and offered by others, Dinnaṁ and payataṁ are synonyms.
Sālīnamannaṁ paribhuñjamāno, when consuming cooked rice,enjoying a dish of fine rice,
So bhuñjasī kassapa āmagandhaṁ. Kassapa, one consumes a raw stench.Kassapa, you eat putrefaction. “Putrefaction” (āmagandha) was to be shunned by Jain ascetics (Ācaraṅgasūtra 1.5.1.10.15: savv’ āmagandhaṁ parinnāya nirāmagandhe parivvae.)
Na āmagandho mama kappatīti, ‘Raw stench is not proper for me,’‘Putrefaction is not appropriate for me’—
Icceva tvaṁ bhāsasi brahmabandhu; Yet you, kinsman of Brahmā, say,so you said, O brahmin only by kin.
Sālīnamannaṁ paribhuñjamāno, while consuming cooked riceYet here you are enjoying a dish of fine rice,
Sakuntamaṁsehi susaṅkhatehi; and the well-prepared fleshes of birds.well prepared with the flesh of fowl. (Su)saṅkhata is routinely employed by the Vedas for the food “prepared” for the sacrifice (Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa 1.1.4.10).
Pucchāmi taṁ kassapa etamatthaṁ, So I ask you, Kassapa, the meaning of that:I’m asking you this, Kassapa:
Kathaṁpakāro tava āmagandho”. Of what sort is ‘raw stench’ for you?”what do you take to be putrefaction?”
“Pāṇātipāto vadhachedabandhanaṁ, “Killing living beings, hunting, cutting, binding,“Killing creatures, mutilation, murder, abduction;
Theyyaṁ musāvādo nikativañcanāni ca; theft, lying, fraud, deceptions,stealing, lying, cheating and fraud,
Ajjhenakuttaṁ paradārasevanā, useless recitations, associating with the wives of others:learning crooked spells, adultery: Read kujja.
Esāmagandho na hi maṁsabhojanaṁ. This is a raw stench, not the eating of meat.this is putrefaction, not eating meat.
Ye idha kāmesu asaññatā janā, Those people here who are unrestrained in sensuality,People here with unbridled sensuality,
Rasesu giddhā asucibhāvamassitā; greedy for flavors, mixed together with what’s impure,greedy for tastes, mixed up in impurity,
Natthikadiṭṭhī visamā durannayā, annihilationists, discordant1 & indomitable:On the term rendered ‘discordant’ (visama), see the corresponding note at Sn 1:12.nihilists, immoral, intractable:
Esāmagandho na hi maṁsabhojanaṁ. This is a raw stench, not the eating of meat.this is putrefaction, not eating meat.
Ye lūkhasā dāruṇā piṭṭhimaṁsikā, Those who are rough, pitiless, eating the flesh off your back,Tough, callous calumniators,
Mittadduno nikkaruṇātimānino; betraying their friends, uncompassionate, arrogant,pitiless and arrogant betrayers of friends,
Adānasīlā na ca denti kassaci, habitually ungenerous, giving to no one:misers who never give anything:
Esāmagandho na hi maṁsabhojanaṁ. This is a raw stench, not the eating of meat.this is putrefaction, not eating meat.
Kodho mado thambho paccupaṭṭhāpanā, Anger, intoxication, stubbornness, hostility,Anger, vanity, obstinacy, contrariness,
Māyā usūyā bhassasamussayo ca; deceptiveness, resentment, boasting,deceit, jealousy, boastfulness,
Mānātimāno ca asabbhi santhavo, conceit & pride, befriending those of no integrity:haughtiness, intimacy with the wicked: Here asabbhi is instrumental of asanta, “wicked person”.
Esāmagandho na hi maṁsabhojanaṁ. This is a raw stench, not the eating of meat.this is putrefaction, not eating meat.
Ye pāpasīlā iṇaghātasūcakā, Those of evil habits, debt-repudiators, informers,The ill-behaved, debt-evaders, informants,
Vohārakūṭā idha pāṭirūpikā; cheats in trading, counterfeiters,business cheats and con-artists,
Narādhamā yedha karonti kibbisaṁ, vile men who do evil things:vile men committing sin:
Esāmagandho na hi maṁsabhojanaṁ. This is a raw stench, not the eating of meat.this is putrefaction, not eating meat.
Ye idha pāṇesu asaññatā janā, Those people here who are unrestrained toward beings,People here who can’t stop harming living creatures,
Paresamādāya vihesamuyyutā; taking what’s others’, intent on injury,taking from others, intent on hurting,
Dussīlaluddā pharusā anādarā, immoral hunters, harsh, disrespectful:immoral, cruel, harsh, lacking regard for others:
Esāmagandho na hi maṁsabhojanaṁ. This is a raw stench, not the eating of meat.this is putrefaction, not eating meat.
Etesu giddhā viruddhātipātino, Those who are very greedy, constantly intentGreedy, hostile, aggressive to others,
Niccuyyutā pecca tamaṁ vajanti ye; on hindering and killing; beings who, after passing away,and addicted to evil—those beings pass into darkness,
Patanti sattā nirayaṁ avaṁsirā, go to darkness, fall headfirst into hell:falling headlong into hell:
Esāmagandho na hi maṁsabhojanaṁ. This is a raw stench, not the eating of meat.this is putrefaction, not eating meat.
Na macchamaṁsānamanāsakattaṁ, No fish & meat,2 no fasting,According to the commentary (SnA), this means abstaining from fish & meat.Not fish or flesh or fasting,
Na naggiyaṁ na muṇḍiyaṁ jaṭājallaṁ; no nakedness, no shaven head, no tangled hair,nudity or baldness, or dreadlocks or dirt,
Kharājināni nāggihuttassupasevanā, no rough animal skins, no performance of fire oblations,not rough hides or serving the sacred flame,
Ye vāpi loke amarā bahū tapā; or the many austerities to become an immortal in the world,or the many endless mortifications in the world, The split compound amaraṁ tapaṁ occurs at SN 4.1:5.2 and Thag 3.1:1.4, while here we have amarā bahū tapā. The commentary explains that amara here is “immortality”, and the phrase means “fervent mortification aimed at immortality”. However, I find this unconvincing, one reason being that amara is an adjective (and thus must be glossed with an abstract noun in dative, amarabhāvatthāya). It is simpler to assume Pali has an idiomatic sense of amara as “endless”, which occurs here, in the phrase amarāvikkhepa (DN 1:2.23.1), and in the Niddesa’s amarāvitakka (Cnd 12:6.1). Then amarā and bahū are synonyms. I cannot find any use in Sanskrit that parallels this, but amara is noted by Edgerton in Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit as “a high number”.
Mantāhutī yaññamutūpasevanā, no chants, no oblations, no performance of sacrifices at the proper season—not hymns or oblations, sacrifices or seasonal observances,
Sodhenti maccaṁ avitiṇṇakaṅkhaṁ. purify a mortal who hasn’t crossed over doubt.will cleanse a mortal not free of doubt.
Sotesu gutto viditindriyo care, One should go about guarded with regard to those things, one’s faculties understood,Guarding the streams of sense impressions, wander with faculties understood, Read vidita (“understood”), as variant vijita (“conquered”) is not supported by the commentary.
Dhamme ṭhito ajjavamaddave rato; standing firm in the Dhamma, delighting in being straightforward & mild.standing on the teaching, delighting in integrity and tenderness.
Saṅgātigo sabbadukkhappahīno, Attachments past, all suffering abandoned,The attentive have slipped their chains and given up all suffering;
Na lippati diṭṭhasutesu dhīro”. the enlightened one isn’t smeared by what’s heard or seen.”they don’t cling to the seen and the heard.”
Iccetamatthaṁ bhagavā punappunaṁ, Thus this meaning, the Blessed One, again & againThe Buddha explained this matter to him again and again, The concluding verses identify the “Kassapa” of the poem as the Buddha Kassapa of the past. The commentary says this was added at the Council.
Akkhāsi naṁ vedayi mantapāragū; explained it. The one who had mastered chants understood it.until the master of hymns understood it.
Citrāhi gāthāhi munī pakāsayi, With variegated verses the sage—It was illustrated with colorful verses
Nirāmagandho asito durannayo. free from raw stench, unfettered, indomitable3—proclaimed it.Durannaya, here rendered ‘indomitable.’ Notice that being indomitable, a ‘raw stench’ in a discordant person, becomes a positive trait in the awakened one. This sort of contrast provides the basis for the wordplay that the Sutta Nipāta occasionally uses to describe the awakened in a paradoxical way. See, for instance, the conclusion to Sn 4:13.by the sage free of putrefaction, unattached, hard to trace.
Sutvāna buddhassa subhāsitaṁ padaṁ, Hearing the Awakened One’s well-spoken word—Having heard the fine words of the Buddha,
Nirāmagandhaṁ sabbadukkhappanūdanaṁ; free from raw stench, dispelling all stress—that are free of putrefaction, casting aside all suffering;
Nīcamano vandi tathāgatassa, the one with lowered mind paid homage to the Tathāgata,humbled, he bowed to the Realized One,
Tattheva pabbajjamarocayitthāti. chose the Going Forth right there.and right away begged to go forth.
Āmagandhasuttaṁ dutiyaṁ. The Āmagandha Sutta, the second.See also: MN 55.