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Saį¹yutta NikÄya 2.9 Linked Discourses 2.9
1. Paį¹hamavagga Chapter One
Candimasutta The Moon CandimaĢ
SÄvatthinidÄnaį¹. At SÄvatthÄ«. This discourse and the next provide the Buddhist community with verses to recite for solace on the terrifying occasion of an eclipse.At SaĢvatthiĢ.
Tena kho pana samayena candimÄ devaputto rÄhunÄ asurindena gahito hoti. Then at that time the Moon god was seized by the asura lord RÄhu.Now at that time the Moon God had been seized by RÄhu, lord of titans. RÄhu (āseizerā), is able to swallow the Moon and Sun because he has largest physical body of any creature (AN 4.15:2.1). This also lets him divert the rains (AN 5.197:3.1). This myth is alluded to in Atharvaveda 19.9.10a and ChÄndogya Upaniį¹£ad 8.13.1. An eclipse was a day unfit for study (Manu 4.110). The full story of RÄhu, however, is not told until the PurÄį¹as, so this Sutta is possibly the oldest telling that survives.Now on that occasion the young deva CandimaĢ had been seized by RaĢhu, lord of the asuras.
Atha kho candimÄ devaputto bhagavantaį¹ anussaramÄno tÄyaį¹ velÄyaį¹ imaį¹ gÄthaį¹ abhÄsi: Then the Moon god, recollecting the Fortunate One, on that occasion recited this verse:Then the Moon God, recollecting the Buddha, at that time spoke this verse: CandimÄ, the āmoonā as celestial body or deity, appears frequently in the Vedas (eg. Rig Veda 1.24.10, 1.102.2, etc.). A slightly different form of this name appears in SN 2.11. Then, recollecting the Blessed One, the young deva CandimaĢ on that occasion recited this verse:
āNamo te buddha vÄ«ratthu, āReverence to you, Buddha-hero,āHomage to you, Buddha, hero! āLet homage be to you, the Buddha! O hero,
vippamuttosi sabbadhi; you who are free in every way!Youāre free in every way. you are everywhere released.
SambÄdhapaį¹ipannosmi, I am being obstructedIāve wandered into confinement: The later PurÄį¹ic legend says that RÄhu disguised himself as a brahmin to drink the godsā nectar of immortality. But he was spied by the Sun and Moon, decapitated by Vishnu, and now his disembodied head traverses the skies as a black planet. He does not forget how the Sun and Moon betrayed him, so, nursing his enmity, he swallows them when he can. He is ever frustrated as they simply pass out through his throat.I have fallen into captivity,
tassa me saraį¹aį¹ bhavÄāti. therefore please be a refuge to me.ābe my refuge!ā Here the sense of ārefugeā (saraį¹a) is both physical and spiritual.So please be my refuge.ā
Atha kho bhagavÄ candimaį¹ devaputtaį¹ Ärabbha rÄhuį¹ asurindaį¹ gÄthÄya ajjhabhÄsi: Then, with reference to the Moon god, the Fortunate One addressed the asura lord RÄhu with a verse:Then the Buddha addressed RÄhu in verse concerning the Moon God: Then, referring to the young deva CandimaĢ, the Blessed One addressed RaĢhu, lord of the asuras, in verse:
āTathÄgataį¹ arahantaį¹, āTo the Realised One, the Worthy One,āThe Moon God has gone for refuge āTo the TathaĢgata, the Arahant.
candimÄ saraį¹aį¹ gato; the Moon has gone for refuge,to the Realized One, the perfected one. CandimaĢ has gone for refuge
RÄhu candaį¹ pamuƱcassu, you must release the Moon, RÄhu!The Buddhas have compassion for the worldāRelease CandimaĢ, O RaĢhu,
buddhÄ lokÄnukampakÄāti. (For) the Buddhas pity the world.āso RÄhu, release the Moon!ā Buddhas have compassion for the world.ā
Atha kho rÄhu asurindo candimaį¹ devaputtaį¹ muƱcitvÄ taramÄnarÅ«po yena vepacitti asurindo tenupasaį¹
kami; upasaį¹
kamitvÄ saį¹viggo lomahaį¹į¹hajÄto ekamantaį¹ aį¹į¹hÄsi. Then the asura lord RÄhu, having released the Moon god, hurriedly approached the asura lord Vepacitti, and after approaching, anxious, and horrified, he stood on one side.Then RÄhu, having released the Moon, rushed to see Vepacitti, lord of titans and stood to one side, shocked and awestruck. RÄhu was the son of Vepacitti and, according to PurÄį¹ic legend, Siį¹hikÄ.Then RaĢhu, lord of the asuras, released the young deva CandimaĢ and hurriedly approached Vepacitti, lord of the asuras. Having approached, shocked and terrified, he stood to one side.
Ekamantaį¹ į¹hitaį¹ kho rÄhuį¹ asurindaį¹ vepacitti asurindo gÄthÄya ajjhabhÄsi: While he was standing on one side the asura lord Vepacitti addressed the asura lord RÄhu with a verse:Vepacitti addressed him in verse: Then, as he stood there, Vepacitti, lord of the asuras, addressed him in verse:
āKiį¹ nu santaramÄnova, āWhy did you so hurriedlyāWhy the rush? āWhy, RaĢhu, did you come in a hurry?
rÄhu candaį¹ pamuƱcasi; release the Moon god, RÄhu?RÄhu, you released the Moon Why did you release CandimaĢ?
Saį¹viggarÅ«po Ägamma, After coming (here)and came here looking like youāre in shock: Having come as if in shock,
kiį¹ nu bhÄ«tova tiį¹į¹hasÄ«āti. why do you stand (there) like someone anxious and frightened?āwhy do you stand there so scared?ā Why do you stand there frightened?ā
āSattadhÄ me phale muddhÄ, āMy head will split into seven,āMy head would have exploded in seven pieces, āMy head would have split in seven parts,
jÄ«vanto na sukhaį¹ labhe; while living I will have no happiness,I would have found no happiness in life, While living I would have found no ease,
BuddhagÄthÄbhigÄ«tomhi, - I am one to whom the Buddha has chanted a verseif, when enchanted by the Buddhaās verse, AbhigÄ«ta first appears with regards to a drop of Soma that has been āchanted overā, ābesungā, or āenchantedā and hence imbued with potency (Rig Veda 9.96.23). Throughout Åatapatha BrÄhmaį¹a 8.5.4 it is used more prosaically: a history of horse sacrifices is listed, each event honored with a specific verse āsung aboutā it. In Pali, the phrase gÄthÄbhigÄ«ta is found only in this passage and when the Buddha refused to eat food āchanted overā by a brahmin (eg. SN 7.8:8.1). In both cases the chanting has a mysterious potency, so I render āenchanted with verseā.If, when chanted over by the Buddhaās verse,
no ce muƱceyya candimanāti. if I do not release the Moon.āI had not released the Moon.ā I had not let go of CandimaĢ. ā