Sutta 8

If it's worth doing,
it's worth doing right

Tāyana Suttaṃ

Tāyama

Translated from the Pāḷi
by
Michael M. Olds

[8.1][rhyc] I Hear Tell:

Once upon a time, The Lucky man,
Sāvatthi-town revisiting,
Jeta Grove,
Anathapiṇḍika's Sporting Grounds.

There, towards the end of night,
a divinity of surpassing radiance,
illuminating the while
the whole of JetaWoods Park
with his surpassing radiance,
approached The Lucky Man.

Having approached The Lucky Man
he stood to one side.

Standing to one side
that deity said this to The Lucky Man:

"Cut off the stream make extra effort to drive out sense desires, Brahmin! Not let go, concentration does not arise in the sage.

"Kayirā ce kayirāthenaṃ daḷhamenaṃ(strong) parakkame,||
Sithilohi paribbājo bhiyyo ākirate rajaṃ.|| ||

Akataṃ dukkataṃ seyyo pacchā tapati dukkataṃ,||
Katañ ca sukataṃ seyyo yaṃ katvā nānutappati.|| ||

Kuso yathā duggahito hatthamevānukantati,||
Sāmaññaṃ dupparāmaṭṭhaṃ Nirayāyūpakaḍḍhati.|| ||

Yaṃ kiñci sithilaṃ kammaṃ saṃkiliṭṭhañca yaṃ vataṃ,||
Saṃkassaraṃ Brahma-cariyaṃ na taṃ hoti maha-p-phalan" ti.|| ||

Idam avoca Tāyano deva-putto.|| ||

"Idaṃ vatvā Bhagavantaṃ abhivādetvā padakkhiṇaṃ katvā tatth'ev'antara-dhāyā" ti.|| ||

Atha kho Bhagavā tassā rattiyā accayena bhikkhū āmantesi:|| ||

"Imaṃ bhikkhave rattiṃ tāyano nāma deva-putto purāṇatitthakaro abhikkantāya rattiyā abhikkanta-vaṇṇo kevala-kappaṃ Jetavanaṃ obhāsetvā yenāhaṃ ten'upasaṇkami.||
Upasaṇkamitvā maṃ abhivādetvā eka-m-antaṃ aṭṭhāsi.|| ||

Eka-m-antaṃ ṭhito bhikkhave tāyano deva-putto mama santike imā gāthāyo abhāsi:|| ||

'Chinda sotaṃ parakkamma kāme panuda4 brāhmaṇa,||
Na-p-pahāya muni kāme n'ekattam uppajjati.|| ||

Kayirā ce kayirāth'enaṃ daḷham enaṃ parakkame,||
[50] Sithilo hi paribbājo bhiyyo ākirate rajam.|| ||

Akataṃ dukkataṃ seyyo pacchā tapati dukkataṃ,||
Katañ ca sukataṃ seyyo yaṃ katvā nānutappati.|| ||

Kuso yathā duggahito hatthamevānukantati,||
Sāmaññaṃ dupparāmaṭṭhaṃ Nirayāyūpakaḍḍhati.|| ||

Yaṃ kiñci sithilaṃ kammaṃ||
saṃkiliṭṭhañ ca yaṃ vataṃ,||
Saṇkassaraṃ Brahma-cariyaṃ||
na taṃ hoti maha-p-phalan' ti.|| ||

Idam avoca Tāyano deva-putto.|| ||

Idaṃ vatvā maṃ abhivādetvā padakkhiṇaṃ katvā tatth'evantara-dhāyi.|| ||

Uggaṇhātha bhikkhave,||
Tāyanagāthā,||
pariyāpuṇātha bhikkhave,||
Tāyanagāthā.|| ||

Dhāretha bhikkhave,||
Tāyanagāthā.|| ||

Attha-saṃhitā bhikkhave,||
tāyanagāthā||
Ādibrahma-cariyikā" ti.|| ||