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Saṁyutta Nikāya — The Linked Discourses

Vol 1:
Verses
SN1-11
Vol 2:
Causation
SN12-21
Vol 3:
Aggregates
SN22-34
Vol 4:
Sense Bases
SN35-44
Vol 5:
Great Book
SN45-56

2. Devaputtasaṁyutta: On Gods

III. Various Sectarians — SN2.26: With Rohitassa

1At Sāvatthī.

Standing to one side, the god Rohitassa said to the Buddha:

“Sir, is it possible to know or see or reach the end of the world by traveling to a place where there’s no being born, growing old, dying, passing away, or being reborn?”

“Reverend, I say it’s not possible to know or see or reach the end of the world by traveling to a place where there’s no being born, growing old, dying, passing away, or being reborn.”

2“It’s incredible, sir, it’s amazing, how well said this was by Master Gotama.

3Once upon a time, I was a hermit called Rohitassa, son of Bhoja. I was a sky-walker with psychic power. I was as fast as a light arrow easily shot across the shadow of a palm tree by a well-trained expert archer with a strong bow. My stride was such that it could span from the eastern ocean to the western ocean. This wish came to me: ‘I will reach the end of the world by traveling.’ Having such speed and stride, I traveled for my whole lifespan of a hundred years — pausing only to eat and drink, go to the toilet, and sleep to dispel weariness — and I passed away along the way, never reaching the end of the world.

4It’s incredible, sir, it’s amazing, how well said this was by Master Gotama: ‘Reverend, I say it’s not possible to know or see or reach the end of the world by traveling to a place where there’s no being born, growing old, dying, passing away, or being reborn.’”

5“But Reverend, I also say there’s no making an end of suffering without reaching the end of the world. For it is in this fathom-long carcass with its perception and mind that I describe the world, its origin, its cessation, and the practice that leads to its cessation.


6The end of the world can never
be reached by traveling.
But without reaching the end of the world,
there’s no release from suffering.

So a clever person, understanding the world,
has completed the spiritual journey, and gone to the end of the world.
A peaceful one, knowing the end of the world,
does not hope for this world or the next.”

1Sāvatthinidānaṁ.

Ekamantaṁ ṭhito kho rohitasso devaputto bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:

"yattha nu kho, bhante, na jāyati na jīyati na mīyati na cavati na upapajjati, sakkā nu kho so, bhante, gamanena lokassa anto ñātuṁ vā daṭṭhuṁ vā pāpuṇituṁ vā"ti?

"Yattha kho, āvuso, na jāyati na jīyati na mīyati na cavati na upapajjati, nāhaṁ taṁ gamanena lokassa antaṁ ñāteyyaṁ daṭṭheyyaṁ patteyyanti vadāmī"ti.

2"Acchariyaṁ, bhante, abbhutaṁ, bhante. Yāvasubhāsitamidaṁ, bhante, bhagavatā: ‘yattha kho, āvuso, na jāyati na jīyati na mīyati na cavati na upapajjati, nāhaṁ taṁ gamanena lokassa antaṁ ñāteyyaṁ daṭṭheyyaṁ patteyyanti vadāmī’ti.

3Bhūtapubbāhaṁ, bhante, rohitasso nāma isi ahosiṁ bhojaputto iddhimā vehāsaṅgamo. Tassa mayhaṁ, bhante, evarūpo javo ahosi; seyyathāpi nāma daḷhadhammā dhanuggaho susikkhito katahattho katayoggo katūpāsano lahukena asanena appakasireneva tiriyaṁ tālacchāyaṁ atipāteyya. Tassa mayhaṁ, bhante, evarūpo padavītihāro ahosi; seyyathāpi nāma puratthimā samuddā pacchimo samuddo. Tassa mayhaṁ, bhante, evarūpaṁ icchāgataṁ uppajji: ‘Ahaṁ gamanena lokassa antaṁ pāpuṇissāmī’ti. So khvāhaṁ, bhante, evarūpena javena samannāgato evarūpena ca padavītihārena, aññatreva asitapītakhāyitasāyitā aññatra uccārapassāvakammā aññatra niddākilamathapaṭivinodanā vassasatāyuko vassasatajīvī vassasataṁ gantvā appatvāva lokassa antaṁ antarāva kālaṅkato.

4Acchariyaṁ, bhante, abbhutaṁ, bhante. Yāvasubhāsitamidaṁ, bhante, bhagavatā: ‘yattha kho, āvuso, na jāyati na jīyati na mīyati na cavati na upapajjati, nāhaṁ taṁ gamanena lokassa antaṁ ñāteyyaṁ daṭṭheyyaṁ patteyyanti vadāmī’"ti.

5"Na kho panāhaṁ, āvuso, appatvā lokassa antaṁ dukkhassa antakiriyaṁ vadāmi. Api ca khvāhaṁ, āvuso, imasmiṁyeva byāmamatte kaḷevare sasaññimhi samanake lokañca paññapemi lokasamudayañca lokanirodhañca lokanirodhagāminiñca paṭipadānti.


6Gamanena na pattabbo,
lokassanto kudācanaṁ;
Na ca appatvā lokantaṁ,
dukkhā atthi pamocanaṁ.

7Tasmā have lokavidū sumedho,
Lokantagū vusitabrahmacariyo;
Lokassa antaṁ samitāvi ñatvā,
Nāsīsati lokamimaṁ parañcā"ti.