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Sutta NipÄta 3.2 Sutta NipÄta 3.2Anthology of Discourses 3.2
PadhÄnasutta ExertionStriving
āTaį¹ maį¹ padhÄnapahitattaį¹, āTo meāmy mind resolute in exertionāāDuring my time of resolute striving
nadiį¹ neraƱjaraį¹ pati; near the river NeraƱjarÄ,back on the bank of the NeraƱjara River,
Viparakkamma jhÄyantaį¹, making a great effort, doing jhÄna,I was meditating very hard
yogakkhemassa pattiyÄ. to attain rest from the yokeāfor the sake of sanctuary from the yoke.
NamucÄ« karuį¹aį¹ vÄcaį¹, NÄmuci1 came,NÄmuci is an epithet for MÄra.NamucÄ« approached,
bhÄsamÄno upÄgami; speaking words of compassion:speaking words of kindness:
āKiso tvamasi dubbaį¹į¹o, āYou are ashen, thin.āYouāre thin, discolored,
santike maraį¹aį¹ tava. Death is in your presence.on the verge of death.
SahassabhÄgo maraį¹assa, Death has 1,000 parts of you.Death has a thousand parts of you, Compare ChÄndogya Upaniį¹£ad 6.7.6, where after fasting only one part of sixteen is left.
ekaį¹so tava jÄ«vitaį¹; Only one part is your life.one fraction is left to life.
JÄ«va bho jÄ«vitaį¹ seyyo, Live, good sir! Life is better.Live, worthy sir! Life is better!
jÄ«vaį¹ puƱƱÄni kÄhasi. Alive, you can do acts of merit.Living, you can make merits.
Carato ca te brahmacariyaį¹, Your living the holy lifeWhile leading the spiritual life
AggihuttaƱca jÅ«hato; and performing the fire sacrificeand serving the sacred flame,
PahÅ«taį¹ cÄ«yate puƱƱaį¹, will heap up much merit.you can pile up abundant meritā
Kiį¹ padhÄnena kÄhasi. What use is exertion to you?so what will striving do for you?
Duggo maggo padhÄnÄya, Hard to follow āthe path of exertionāHard to walk is the path of striving,
dukkaro durabhisambhavoāā; hard to do, hard to sustain.āāhard to do, a hard challenge to win.āā
ImÄ gÄthÄ bhaį¹aį¹ mÄro, Saying these verses,These are the verses MÄra spoke
aį¹į¹hÄ buddhassa santike. MÄra stood in the Awakened Oneās presence.as he stood beside the Buddha.
Taį¹ tathÄvÄdinaį¹ mÄraį¹, And to that MÄra, speaking thus,When MÄra had spoken in this way,
bhagavÄ etadabravi; the Blessed One said this:the Buddha said this:
āPamattabandhu pÄpima, āKinsman of the heedless, Evil One,āO Wicked One, kinsman of the negligent,
yenatthena idhÄgato. come here for whatever purpose:youāre here for your own purpose.
Aį¹umattopi puƱƱena, I havenāt, for merit,I have no need for
Attho mayhaį¹ na vijjati; even the least bit of need.the slightest bit of merit.
YesaƱca attho puƱƱena, Those who have need of merit:Those with need for merit
Te mÄro vattumarahati. Those are the ones MÄraās fit to address.are fit for MÄra to address.
Atthi saddhÄ tathÄ viriyaį¹, In me are conviction, austerity, persistence,I have faith and energy too,
paĆ±Ć±Ä ca mama vijjati; discernment.and wisdom is found in me.
Evaį¹ maį¹ pahitattampi, Why, when my mind is resolute,When I am so resolute,
kiį¹ jÄ«vamanupucchasi. do you petition me to live?why do you beg me to live?
NadÄ«namapi sotÄni, Even river currentsThe rivers and streams
ayaį¹ vÄto visosaye; this wind could burn upāmight be dried by the wind,
KiƱca me pahitattassa, why, when my mind is resolute,so why, when I am resolute,
lohitaį¹ nupasussaye. shouldnāt my blood dry away?should it not dry up my blood?
Lohite sussamÄnamhi, As my blood dries up,And while the blood is drying up,
Pittaį¹ semhaƱca sussati; gall & phlegm dry up,the bile and phlegm dry too.
Maį¹sesu khÄ«yamÄnesu, as muscles waste away,And as my muscles waste away,
Bhiyyo cittaį¹ pasÄ«dati; the mind grows clearer;my mind grows more serene.
Bhiyyo sati ca paĆ±Ć±Ä ca, mindfulness, discernment,And all the stronger grow mindfulness
SamÄdhi mama tiį¹į¹hati. concentration stand more firm.and wisdom and immersion.
Tassa mevaį¹ viharato, Staying in this way,As I meditate like this,
Pattassuttamavedanaį¹; attaining the ultimate feeling,2The highest equanimity that can be attained through jhÄna.having attained the supreme feeling, For vedanÄ, the MahÄvastu has padaį¹, while the Saį¹
ghabhedavastu has cetanÄ.
KÄmesu nÄpekkhate cittaį¹, the mind has no interest in sensuality.my mind has no interest in sensual pleasures:
Passa sattassa suddhataį¹. See: a beingās purity!behold a beingās purity!
KÄmÄ te paį¹hamÄ senÄ, Sensual passions are your first army.Sensual pleasures are your first army,
DutiyÄ arati vuccati; Your second is called Discontent.the second is called discontent,
TatiyÄ khuppipÄsÄ te, Your third is Hunger & Thirst.hunger and thirst are the third,
CatutthÄ« taį¹hÄ pavuccati. Your fourth is called Craving.and the fourth is said to be craving.
PaƱcamaį¹ thinamiddhaį¹ te, Fifth is Sloth & Torpor.Your fifth is dullness and drowsiness,
Chaį¹į¹hÄ bhÄ«rÅ« pavuccati; Sixth is called Cowardice.the sixth is said to be cowardice,
SattamÄ« vicikicchÄ te, Your seventh is Uncertainty.your seventh is doubt,
Makkho thambho te aį¹į¹hamo. Hypocrisy & Stubbornness, your eighth.contempt and obstinacy are your eighth.
LÄbho siloko sakkÄro, Gains, Offerings, Fame, & StatusProfit, praise, and honor,
MicchÄladdho ca yo yaso; wrongly gained,and misbegotten fame;
Yo cattÄnaį¹ samukkaį¹se, and whoever would praise selfthe extolling of oneself
Pare ca avajÄnati. & disparage others:while scorning others.
EsÄ namuci te senÄ, That, NÄmuci, is your army,This is your army, NamucÄ«,
Kaį¹hassÄbhippahÄrinÄ«; the Dark Oneās commando force.the strike force of the Dark One.
Na naį¹ asÅ«ro jinÄti, A coward canāt defeat it,Only a hero can defeat it,
JetvÄ ca labhate sukhaį¹. but one having defeated it gains bliss.but in victory there lies bliss.
Esa muƱjaį¹ parihare, Do I carry muƱja grass?3MuƱja grass was the ancient Indian equivalent of a white flag: a warrior expecting he might have to surrender would carry it into battle, and lie down with it in his mouth if he did surrender. The Buddhaās rhetorical question indicates he is not that kind of warriorāhe would rather die than surrender.Let me gird myselfāThe meaning of these lines is quite obscure. The muƱja was used for the brahminās girdle, and as such became an epithet of Vishnu and Shiva. The sense of āgirdleā in English conveys the idea of preparing oneself for a righteous challenge, āgird thy loinsā. | Parihare is optative.
Dhiratthu mama jÄ«vitaį¹; I spit on my life.curse my life!
Saį¹
gÄme me mataį¹ seyyo, Death in battle would be better for meIād rather die in battle
YaƱce jÄ«ve parÄjito. than that I, defeated, survive.4This line is repeated at Thag 2:37.than live on in defeat.
PagÄįø·hettha na dissanti, Sinking here, they donāt appear,Here some ascetics and brahmins
Eke samaį¹abrÄhmaį¹Ä; some brahmans & contemplatives.are swallowed up, not to be seen again.
TaƱca maggaį¹ na jÄnanti, They donāt know the pathAnd they do not know the path
Yena gacchanti subbatÄ. by which those with good practices go.traveled by those true to their vows.
SamantÄ dhajiniį¹ disvÄ, Seeing the bannered force on all sidesāSeeing MÄra ready with his legions,
Yuttaį¹ mÄraį¹ savÄhanaį¹; the troops, MÄra along with his mountāsurrounded by his bannered forces,
YuddhÄya paccuggacchÄmi, I go into battle.I shall meet them in battleā
MÄ maį¹ į¹hÄnÄ acÄvayi. May they not budge me from my spot.theyāll never make me retreat!
Yaį¹ te taį¹ nappasahati, That army of yours,That army of yours has never been beaten
Senaį¹ loko sadevako; that the world with its devas canāt overcome,by the world with all its gods.
Taį¹ te paƱƱÄya bhecchÄmi, I will smash with discernmentāYet I shall smash it with wisdom,
Ämaį¹ pattaį¹va asmanÄ. as an unfired pot with a stone.like an unfired pot with a stone. An unfired pot is also used as simile for weakness at MN 122:27.1.
VasÄ«karitvÄ saį¹
kappaį¹, Making my resolve mastered,Having brought my thoughts under control,
SatiƱca sÅ«patiį¹į¹hitaį¹; mindfulness well-established,and established mindfulness well,
Raį¹į¹hÄ raį¹į¹haį¹ vicarissaį¹, I will go about, from kingdom to kingdom,I shall wander from nation to nation,
SÄvake vinayaį¹ puthÅ«. training many disciples.guiding many disciples.
Te appamattÄ pahitattÄ, Theyāheedful, resolute in mind,Diligent and resolute,
Mama sÄsanakÄrakÄ; doing my biddingāfollowing my instructions,
AkÄmassa te gamissanti, despite your wishes, will gothey will proceed despite your will,
Yattha gantvÄ na socareā. where, having gone, thereās no grief.āto where there is no sorrow.ā
āSatta vassÄni bhagavantaį¹, āFor seven years, Iāve doggedāFor seven years I followed
Anubandhiį¹ padÄpadaį¹; the Blessed Oneās steps,step by step behind the Blessed One.
OtÄraį¹ nÄdhigacchissaį¹, but havenāt gained an openingI found no vulnerability
Sambuddhassa satīmato. in the One Self-Awakened & glorious.in the mindful Awakened One.
Medavaį¹į¹aį¹va pÄsÄį¹aį¹, A stone the color of fat,A crow once circled a stone
VÄyaso anupariyagÄ; a crow circled,that looked like a lump of fat.
Apettha muduį¹ vindema, maybe Iāve found something tender here,āPerhaps Iāll find something tender,ā it thought,
Api assÄdanÄ siyÄ. maybe thereās something deliciousāāperhaps thereās something tasty.ā
AladdhÄ tattha assÄdaį¹, but not getting anything delicious there,But finding nothing tasty,
VÄyasetto apakkami; the crow went away.the crow left that place.
KÄkova selamÄsajja, Like the crow attacking the rock,Like the crow that pecked the stone,
NibbijjÄpema gotamaį¹ā. I weary myself with Gotama.āI leave Gotama disappointed.ā
Tassa sokaparetassa, As he was overcome with sorrow,So stricken with sorrow
VÄ«į¹Ä kacchÄ abhassatha; his lute fell from under his arm.that his harp dropped from his armpit,
Tato so dummano yakkho, Then he, the despondent spirit,that spirit, downcast,
TatthevantaradhÄyathÄti. right there disappeared.vanished right there.
PadhÄnasuttaį¹ dutiyaį¹. The PadhÄna Sutta, the second.vv. 425ā449. See also: MN 70; SN 4; AN 2:5; AN 5:53.