Aṇguttara Nikāya
Sattaka Nipāta
Avyākata Vagga
The Book of the Gradual Sayings
The Book of the Sevens
Chapter VI: The Unexplained
Sutta 58
Pacalāyana Suttaṃ
Nodding[1]
Translated from the Pali by E.M. Hare.
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[1][than][olds] Thus have I heard:
Once, while the Exalted One dwelt among the Bhaggis[2]
on Crocodile Hill in the Deer Park at Bhesaka'ā Grove,
the venerable MahāMoggallāna sat nodding in the village of Kallavā'amutta,
among the Magadhese.
And the Exalted One with the deva-eye,
surpassing man's in clearness,
saw him seated there nodding;
and as a strong man might bend his arm to and fro,
the Exalted One vanished from the Deer Park
and appeared before the venerable MahāMoggallāna.
And the Exalted One sat down on the appointed [51] seat.
And when he was seated,
he said to the venerable MahāMoggallāna:
'Noddest thou, Moggallāna,
dozest thou, Moggallāna?'
'Yes, lord.'
[2][than][olds] 'Accordingly, Moggallāna, if,
while thou abidest thoughtful,
comes the thought:
"That drowsiness has descended"
— take no heed of it,
make no ado of that thought;[3]
and maybe, as thou abidest so,
that drowsiness will pass.
[3][than][olds] If, abiding so,
it pass not,
then shouldst thou ponder in thy heart on Dhamma,
as heard, as mastered,
explore it, with thy mind review it;
and maybe, as thou abidest so,
that drowsiness will pass.
[4][than][olds] If it pass not,
then shouldst thou repeat Dhamma in detail,
as heard, as mastered;
and maybe, as thou abidest so,
that drowsiness will pass.
[5][than][olds] If it pass not,
then shouldst thou pu1l[4] both ear-lobes
and knead the limbs with the hand;
and maybe, as thou abidest so,
that drowsiness will pass.
[6][than][olds] If it pass not,
then shouldst thou arise from sitting,
cleanse[5] the eyes with water,
survey the horizon
and gaze up at the starry constellations;
and maybe, as thou abidest so,
that drowsiness will pass.
[7][than][olds] If it pass not,
then shouldst thou apply thy mind
to the thought of light,[6]
fix thy mind on the thought of day
— as by day, so by night;
as by night, so by day —
thus with mind unhindered, unhampered,
thou shouldst make thy thought become radiant;
and maybe, as thou abidest so,
that drowsiness will pass.
[52] [8][than][olds] If it pass not,
then, with the senses withdrawn,
the mind not outward gone,[7]
shouldst thou fix thy thought
on the alley-walk,
conscious of its front and back;[8]
and maybe, as thou abidest so,
that drowsiness will pass.
[9][than][olds] If, abiding so,
that drowsiness pass not,
then shouldst thou,
lion-like,
lie down on thy right side,
foot covering foot,
mindful,
self-possessed,
thy mind set on the thought of arising;[9]
and, on awakening,[10] Moggallāna,
get up quickly, thinking:
"I'll not live
yoked to the pleasures of lying,
reclining and drowsiness."
Verily, let thy training be thus, Moggallāna !
[10][than][olds] And moreover, Moggallāna,
let thy training be thus:
"Not lifted up with pride[11]
will I visit families."
Verily, Moggallāna,
let thy training be thus!
For in families, Moggallāna,
there are many things to be done
whereby the men may not notice a monk's coming;
and if the monk visit lifted up with pride,
he'll think:
"Who now, I wonder,
has embroiled me with this family?
These men have now no liking[12] for me."
And so, from getting nothing,
he becomes troubled;[13]
being troubled, he becomes wrought Up;[14]
being wrought up,
he becomes uncontrolled;
when uncontrolled,
the mind is far from concentration.
Moreover, Moggallāna,
let thy training be thus:
"I'll talk [53] no provoking talk."[15]
Verily, Moggallāna,
let thy training be thus!
When there is provoking talk, Moggallāna,
much talk may be expected;
when there is much talk,
one becomes wrought up;
being wrought up,
one becomes uncontrolled;
when uncontrolled,
the mind is far from concentration.
Moggallāna, I praise not fellowship just with all,
nor do I not praise such fellowship;
indeed; Moggallāna, I praise not fellowship with housedwellers,
with wanderers;
but dwellings that have few sounds,
little noise,
are free from folk's breath,
where one may live apart from man
in befitting solitude[16]
— 'tis such I praise.'
[11][than][olds] Now when he had thus spoken,
the venerable MahāMoggallāna said this to the Exalted One:
'Briefly,[17] lord, how becomes a monk
freed by craving's destruction,
reaching the perpetual end,[18]
the perpetual peace from effort,
the perpetual godly state,
the perpetual finality,
and becomes foremost among devas and men?'
'Herein, Moggallāna,
a monk has learnt this:
It befits not to be engrossed in the things[19] of this world.
If,[20] Moggallāna, a monk has learnt this
— It befits not to be engrossed in the things of this world —
he recognizes each condition;
recognizing each condition,
he understands each condition;
understanding eaeh condition,
whatever feeling he feels
— pleasant, painful or neither —
he abides seeing the impermanence of those feelings,
viewing them dispassionately,
looking for their end,
regarding them as something to be renounced.
Living in [54] such contemplation,
he cleaves not to anything in the world;
not cleaving to anything,
he craves[21] not;
not craving for anything,
he becomes just completely cool in himself;[22]
and he knows:
Birth is destroyed,
lived is the godly life,
done is what had to be done,
there is no more of this state.[23]
Verily, Moggallāna, in this manner, briefly,
a monk becomes freed by craving's destruction,
reaching the perpetual end,
the perpetual peace from effort,
the perpetual godly state,
the perpetual finality,
and becomes foremost among devas and men.'
[1] Pacala, from √cal, to shake. S.e. omits this and adopts v.l. in n. 24 of our text. Comy. observes that he had walked up and down for seven days and was worn out (cf. Soṇa's case G.S. iii 266 n.). Our sutta is referred to by Dhammapala, see Brethr. 341, where the village is called Kallavala; Comy. is silent.
[2] The Bhaggis were members of the Vajjian confederacy and Suṇsumāragira was their capital. see C.H.I. i, 175.
[3] S.e. reads: yathā saññino te viharato tam middham okkamī-ti taṇ saññam mā manasikāsi taṇ saññam mā bahulam akāsi; which I follow. Comy. observes that M. was not then arahant. Our sutta is referred to at Expos. 317; see also DhS. trsl. 312 n.
[4] Āvijeyyāsi, S.e. āviñj- with v.l.; see P.E.D.; Comy. ad S. iv, 199. ākaḍḍhati; our Comy. is silent. Trenckner Notes. 59 from √piñj quoting Sk. piñjana, see Pāli use at Mp. 599 (Hewa. ed.) ad A. iii, 37, piñchana. v.l. piñjana, pisana (see P.E.D. s.v. √pis or √piṇs'); so my suggested translation at G.S. iii, 30 n., 'carding' is to be amended.
[5] Anumajjitvā, so S.e., but Comy. with v.l. apanijitvā (√nij, not in P.E.D.), glossing parimaddittvā (with some interesting v.l.).
[6] See G.S. iii. 228 n.; Comy. here almost repeats. But see below, p. 292.
[7] Antogatehi indriyehi, abahigatena mānasena; Comy. on the former, bahi avikkhittehi anto anupaviṭṭhehi; for the latter, see VvA. 213; Vv. 50 reads: abahiggata, no doubt for the metre's sake; cf. also S. i, 197, atho te mano niccharati bahiddhā.
[8] Comy. purato ca pacchato ca abhiharaṇasaññāya saññāvā; see Dial. iii. 44 n. on abhiharati; G.S. iii. 21 for concentration on alley-walks.
[10] Paṭi-Buddhena.
1 Timothy iii, 6: Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.
— p.p.
[11] Uccāsoṇḍaṇ paggahetvā. Comy. mānasoṇḍaṇ. Paggahetvā is Sk. pragrihya, with, accompanied by; soṇḍa P.E.D. derives from Sk. śuṇḍā, a trunk; but is it not from śayṇḍam cf, sayṇḍīrya (spirit, high-spirited)? For the sentiment cf. 1 Timothy iii, 6. On M's pride, see Gotama the Man, 110 ff.
[12] We should read. virattarūpā'dān'ime.
[13] Maṇkubhāvo. Comy. nittejatā, 'put out.'
[14] Uddhaccaṇ and uddhata; despite P.E.D. these words are derivable from. √han and the English idiom is applicable.
[15] Viggāhikakathā cf. D. i, 8; Sn. 930; Nidd. i, 394 (quoting our text). Our Comy. explains this talk in accordance with D.; see also M. ii, 3; S. iii, 12.
[16] This is stock, Vin. i, 39; D. iii, 38; M. ii, 118; iii, 13.
[17] Cf. M. i, 251, where all this recurs; the punctuation, which I follow, is preferable to our text; MA. ii, 297 is the same as our Comy.
[18] Accanta-niṭṭho; cf. D. ii. 283; S. iii, 13; A. i, 291; Comy. glosses, ekanta-, satata-, and in other connections, nicca-; M. trsl. 'consummate.' Cf. Psalms ix, 6, 'O thou enemy, destructions are come to a perpetual end.'
[19] Sabbe dhammā.
[20] S.e. reads with our text, evaṇ c'etaṇ; M., evañ ce taṇ
[21] Taṇhā and paritassati are from √trish; Comy. observes, taṇhā-paritassanāya na paritassati.
[22] Paccattaṇ yeva parinibkhāyati.
[23] Vin. i, 14; D. i, 84; M. ii, 39; S. ii, 82.
