Saṃyutta Nikāya
I. Sagātha Vagga
7. Brāhmana Saṃyutta
1. Arahanta Vagga
Sutta 6
Jaṭā Suttaṃ
Tangles
Translated from the Pāḷi
by
Michael M. Olds
Once upon a time, The Lucky Man,
Sāvatthi-town revisiting.
There then Tangle Bhāradvāja brāhman approached The Lucky Man and drew near.
Having drawn near
he exchanged greetings with The Lucky Man.
Having exchanged greetings,
he took a seat to one side.
Seated to one side then, Tangle Bhāradvāja brāhman
addressed The Lucky Man in verses:
"Tangled within, tangled-without
a generation entangled in tangles this!
Of you Gotama I ask:
who from this tangle's untangled?"
■
"On ethics standing firm
courageous in wisdom,
wise of heart become,
Ardent, industrious,
he this tangle the bhikkhu's untangled.
Those, of lust, anger and blindness cleansed,
Influence-rid Arahants,
these this tangle untangled.
Where name and form -
reaction to perception of form -
entirely extirpated are
there this tangle's cut through."
This said, Tangle Bhāradvāja brāhman said this to The Lucky Man:
"Wonderful good Gotama!
Wonderful good Gotama!
Just as though, good Gotama,
one were to set upright the upside-down,
or uncover the covered,
or to show the way to one who was lost,
or were to bring a light into the darkness
so that creatures there might see:
'There are forms!'
In the same way, the good Gotama has
in many a figure
presented his Dhamma.
I take myself to the venerable Gotama for refuge,
I take myself to the Dhamma for refuge;
I take myself to the Saṇgha for refuge.
I would receive the going forth
in the presence of The Lucky Man,
taking on full ordination."
Then Tangle Bhāradvāja brāhman received the going forth
in the presence of The Lucky Man,
and took on full ordination.
Then, not long after his ordination,
Tangle Bhāradvāja brāhman,
living apart,
free of carelessness, ardent, self-determined,
quickly achieved that aim,
that unsurpassed Best of Lives,
for which the sons of clansmen go forth from home into homelessness,
experiencing it for himself
in this seen thing.
And he knew from personal experience that:
"Left behind is rebirth
lived is the best of lives,
done is duty's doing,
no further it'n-'n-at'n' for me."
And the venerable Bhāradvāja became another one of the Arahants.
