Aṇguttara Nikāya
Catukka Nipāta
VIII: Apaṇṇaka Vagga
The Book of the Fours
Sutta 80
Kamboja Suttaṃ
Off to Kamboja
Translated from the Pāḷi
by
Michael M. Olds
Once upon a time the Lucky Man Kosambī revisiting,
Ghosita Park.
There then Old Man Ānanda approached Bhagava
and giving salutation
took a seat to one side.
Seated to one side then,
Old Man Ānanda said this to The Lucky Man:
What then, bhante, might be the driving force,[1]
what the result[2] whereof
women-folk neither sit in the assembly,
nor undertake commerce,
nor do inspiring deeds?[3]
Wrathfulness Ānanda in women,
enviousness Ānanda in women,
selfishness Ānanda in women,
poor wisdom Ānanda in women.
These then, Ānanda, are the driving forces,
these the result whereof
women-folk neither sit in the assembly,
nor undertake commerce,
nor do inspiring deeds.
[1] hetu
[2] paccaya
[3] Kambojaṃ gacchati. That is what the Pāḷi has, but it is either wrong or a metaphorical expression. More likely is the reading kamm'ojaṃ. Woodward has changed the statement 'go to Kamboja' to 'reach the essence of the deed' reading 'kamm'ojaṃ' for 'Kambojam'. He has footnoted the commentary statement that this is to be understood as 'to engage in foreign trade,' but cannot see the sense of that. But there are too many examples in the suttas of women who have become Arahant to think that, reading the rest of the sutta as he does, the meaning could be that women do not penetrate through to the essence of the deed. The other meaning that could be given to 'kam'ojaṃ gacchat' is 'attain to deeds of strength,' or even 'heroic deeds,' a modification of which I use here.
