1At Sāvatthī.

Then two mendicants who were companions, pupils of Venerable Mahākappina, went to see the Buddha.

The Buddha saw them coming off in the distance, and addressed the mendicants: “Mendicants, do you you see those monks coming who are companions, pupils of Venerable Mahākappina?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Those mendicants are very mighty and powerful. It’s not easy to find an attainment that they have not already attained. And they’ve realized the supreme end of the spiritual path in this very life. They live having achieved with their own insight the goal for which gentlemen rightly go forth from the lay life to homelessness.”

2That is what the Buddha said. Then the Holy One, the Teacher, went on to say:

3“These companion mendicants
have been together for a long time.
The true teaching has brought them together,
the teaching proclaimed by the Buddha.

4They’ve been well trained by Kappina
in the teaching proclaimed by the noble one.
They bear their final body,
having vanquished Māra and his mount.”

1Sāvatthiyaṁ vihārati.

Atha kho dve bhikkhū sahāyakā āyasmato mahākappinassa saddhivihārino yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkamiṁsu.

Addasā kho bhagavā te bhikkhū dūratova āgacchante. Disvāna bhikkhū āmantesi: "passatha no tumhe, bhikkhave, ete bhikkhū sahāyake āgacchante kappinassa saddhivihārino"ti?

"Evaṁ, bhante".

"Ete kho te bhikkhū mahiddhikā mahānubhāvā. Na ca sā samāpatti sulabharūpā, yā tehi bhikkhūhi asamāpannapubbā. Yassa catthāya kulaputtā sammadeva agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajanti tadanuttaraṁ brahmacariyapariyosānaṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja vihārantī"ti.

2Idamavoca bhagavā. Idaṁ vatvāna sugato athāparaṁ etadavoca satthā: 

3"Sahāyāvatime bhikkhū,
cirarattaṁ sametikā;
Sameti nesaṁ saddhammo,
dhamme buddhappavedite.

4Suvinītā kappinena,
dhamme ariyappavedite;
Dhārenti antimaṁ dehaṁ,
jetvā māraṁ savāhinin"ti.

Dvādasamaṁ.
Bhikkhuvaggo paṭhamo.

5Kolito upatisso ca,
ghaṭo cāpi pavuccati;
Navo sujāto bhaddi ca,
visākho nando tisso ca;
Theranāmo ca kappino,
sahāyena ca dvādasāti.

Bhikkhusaṁyuttaṁ samattaṁ.
Nidānavaggo dutiyo.

6Nidānābhisamayadhātu,
anamataggena kassapaṁ;
Sakkārarāhulalakkhaṇo,
opammabhikkhunā vaggo.

Dutiyo tena pavuccatīti.

Nidānavaggasaṁyuttapāḷi niṭṭhitā.