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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

3. Kosalasaṁyutta: With the Kosalan

I. Shackles — SN3.1: Young

1So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery.

Then King Pasenadi of Kosala went up to the Buddha, and exchanged greetings with him. When the greetings and polite conversation were over, he sat down to one side and said to the Buddha: “Does Master Gotama claim to have awakened to the supreme perfect awakening?”

“If anyone should rightly be said to have awakened to the supreme perfect awakening, it’s me. For, great king, I have awakened to the supreme perfect awakening.”

2“Well, there are those ascetics and brahmins who lead an order and a community, and teach a community. They’re well-known and famous religious founders, regarded as holy by many people. That is, Pūraṇa Kassapa, Makkhali Gosāla, Nigaṇṭha Nāṭaputta, Sañjaya Belaṭṭhiputta, Pakudha Kaccāyana, and Ajita Kesakambala. I also asked them whether they claimed to have awakened to the supreme perfect awakening, but they made no such claim. So why do you, given that you’re so young in age and newly gone forth?”

3“Great king, these four things should not be looked down on or disparaged because they are young. What four? An aristocrat, a snake, a fire, and a mendicant. These four things should not be looked down on or disparaged because they are young.”


4That is what the Buddha said. Then the Holy One, the Teacher, went on to say:

5“A man should not despise
an aristocrat of impeccable lineage,
high-born and famous,
just because they’re young.

6For it’s possible that that lord of men,
as aristocrat, will gain the throne.
And in his anger he’ll execute a royal punishment,
and have you violently beaten.
Hence you should avoid him
for the sake of your own life.

7Whether in village or wilderness,
wherever a serpent is seen,
a man should not look down on it
or despise it for its youth.

8With its rainbow of colors,
the snake of fiery breath glides along.
It lashes out and bites the fool,
both men and women alike.
Hence you should avoid it
for the sake of your own life.

9A fire devours a huge amount,
a conflagration with a blackened trail.
A man should not look down on it
just because it’s young.

10For once it gets fuel
it’ll become a huge conflagration.
It’ll lash out and burn the fool,
both men and women alike.
Hence you should avoid it
for the sake of your own life.

11When a forest is burned by fire,
a conflagration with a blackened trail,
the shoots will spring up there again,
with the passing of the days and nights.

12But if a mendicant endowed with ethics
burns you with their power,
you’ll have no sons or cattle,
nor will your heirs find wealth.
Childless and heirless you become,
like a palm-tree stump.

13That’s why an astute person,
seeing what’s good for themselves,
would always treat these properly:
a snake, a conflagration,
a famous aristocrat,
and a mendicant endowed with ethics.”

14When this was said, King Pasenadi of Kosala said to the Buddha: “Excellent, sir! Excellent! As if he were righting the overturned, or revealing the hidden, or pointing out the path to the lost, or lighting a lamp in the dark so people with good eyes can see what’s there, the Buddha has made the teaching clear in many ways. I go for refuge to the Buddha, to the teaching, and to the mendicant Saṅgha. From this day forth, may the Buddha remember me as a lay follower who has gone for refuge for life.”

1Evaṁ me sutaṁ — ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ vihārati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme. Atha kho rājā pasenadi kosalo yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavatā saddhiṁ sammodi. Sammodanīyaṁ kathaṁ sāraṇīyaṁ vītisāretvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho rājā pasenadi kosalo bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: "bhavampi no gotamo anuttaraṁ sammāsambodhiṁ abhisambuddhoti paṭijānātī"ti?

"Yañhi taṁ, mahārāja, sammā vadamāno vadeyya ‘anuttaraṁ sammāsambodhiṁ abhisambuddho’ti, mameva taṁ sammā vadamāno vadeyya. Ahañhi, mahārāja, anuttaraṁ sammāsambodhiṁ abhisambuddho"ti.

2"Yepi te, bho gotama, samaṇabrāhmaṇā saṅghino gaṇino gaṇācariyā ñātā yasassino titthakarā sādhusammatā bahujanassa, seyyathidaṁ – pūraṇo kassapo, makkhali gosālo, nigaṇṭho nāṭaputto, sañcayo belaṭṭhaputto, pakudho kaccāyano, ajito kesakambalo; tepi mayā ‘anuttaraṁ sammāsambodhiṁ abhisambuddhoti paṭijānāthā’ti puṭṭhā samānā anuttaraṁ sammāsambodhiṁ abhisambuddhoti na paṭijānanti. Kiṁ pana bhavaṁ gotamo daharo ceva jātiyā navo ca pabbajjāyā"ti?

3"Cattāro kho me, mahārāja, daharāti na uññātabbā, daharāti na paribhotabbā. Katame cattāro? Khattiyo kho, mahārāja, daharoti na uññātabbo, daharoti na paribhotabbo. Urago kho, mahārāja, daharoti na uññātabbo, daharoti na paribhotabbo. Aggi kho, mahārāja, daharoti na uññātabbo, daharoti na paribhotabbo. Bhikkhu, kho, mahārāja, daharoti na uññātabbo, daharoti na paribhotabbo. Ime kho, mahārāja, cattāro daharāti na uññātabbā, daharāti na paribhotabbā"ti.


4Idamavoca bhagavā. Idaṁ vatvāna sugato athāparaṁ etadavoca satthā: 

5"Khattiyaṁ jātisampannaṁ,
abhijātaṁ yasassinaṁ;
Daharoti nāvajāneyya,
na naṁ paribhave naro.

6Ṭhānañhi so manujindo,
rajjaṁ laddhāna khattiyo;
So kuddho rājadaṇḍena,
tasmiṁ pakkamate bhusaṁ;
Tasmā taṁ parivajjeyya,
rakkhaṁ jīvitamattano.

7Gāme vā yadi vā raññe,
yattha passe bhujaṅgamaṁ;
Daharoti nāvajāneyya,
na naṁ paribhave naro.

8Uccāvacehi vaṇṇehi,
urago carati tejasī;
So āsajja ḍaṁse bālaṁ,
naraṁ nāriñca ekadā;
Tasmā taṁ parivajjeyya,
rakkhaṁ jīvitamattano.

9Pahūtabhakkhaṁ jālinaṁ,
pāvakaṁ kaṇhavattaniṁ;
Daharoti nāvajāneyya,
na naṁ paribhave naro.

10Laddhā hi so upādānaṁ,
mahā hutvāna pāvako;
So āsajja ḍahe bālaṁ,
naraṁ nāriñca ekadā;
Tasmā taṁ parivajjeyya,
rakkhaṁ jīvitamattano.

11Vanaṁ yadaggi ḍahati,
pāvako kaṇhavattanī;
Jāyanti tattha pārohā,
ahorattānamaccaye.

12Yañca kho sīlasampanno,
bhikkhu ḍahati tejasā;
Na tassa puttā pasavo,
dāyādā vindare dhanaṁ;
Anapaccā adāyādā,
tālāvatthū bhavanti te.

13Tasmā hi paṇḍito poso,
sampassaṁ atthamattano;
Bhujaṅgamaṁ pāvakañca,
khattiyañca yasassinaṁ;
Bhikkhuñca sīlasampannaṁ,
sammadeva samācare"ti.

14Evaṁ vutte, rājā pasenadi kosalo bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: "Abhikkantaṁ, bhante, abhikkantaṁ, bhante. Seyyathāpi, bhante, nikkujjitaṁ vā ukkujjeyya, paṭicchannaṁ vā vivareyya, mūḷhassa vā maggaṁ ācikkheyya, andhakāre vā telapajjotaṁ dhāreyya: ‘cakkhumanto rūpāni dakkhantī’ti; evamevaṁ bhagavatā anekapariyāyena dhammo pakāsito. Esāhaṁ, bhante, bhagavantaṁ saraṇaṁ gacchāmi dhammañca bhikkhusaṅghañca. Upāsakaṁ maṁ, bhante, bhagavā dhāretu ajjatagge pāṇupetaṁ saraṇaṁ gatan"ti.