Pāḷi English Dictionary
Sutta SearchSaṃyutta Nikāya
I. Sagātha Vagga
11. Sakka-Saṃyutta
The Book of the Kindred Sayings
I. Kindred Sayings with Verses
11. The Sakka Suttas
Sutta 13
Mahāli (Satta-Vata-Pada) Suttaṃ
Translated from the Pāḷi
by
Michael M. Olds
[1.13][rhyc][bodh] I Hear Tell:
Once upon a time, The Lucky man,
Vesāli revisiting,
Great Wood
Peak-roofed Hall.
There then Mahāli the Licchavi
approached the Lucky Man and
drew near.
Having drawn near the Lucky Man and
greeted him with respectful salutation,
he took a seat to one side.
Then having taken a seat to one side
Mahāli the Licchavi
said this to the Lucky Man:
"Have you, bhante,
actually seen
Sakka, Ruler of the Gods?"
"I have seen Sakka,
Ruler of the gods, Mahāli."
"Could that have been, bhante,
just a form
that appeared to be
Sakka, Ruler of the gods?
Very difficult to see, bhante,
is Sakka, Ruler of the gods."
"Sakka, I know, Mahāli, and
that Dhamma made by Sakka
by way of which
he arrived at Sakkaship,
that too I know.
Sakka, Ruler of the gods, Mahāli,
was, earlier, as a human being,
the wanderer named Magha,
a brahmin youth.
Thus he is called 'Maghavā' (like Magha).
Sakka, Ruler of the gods, Mahāli,
was, earlier, as a human being,
a wanderer seen to go from town (pure) to town giving.
Thus he is called 'Purindada' (Purindada Sakka (Inda) the Town Giver).
Sakka, Ruler of the gods, Mahāli,
was, earlier, as a human being,
a wanderer seen to give
showing thorough,
respectful care and
due honor (sakkaccaṃ).
Thus he is called 'Sakka' (sakka to the best of one's ability, with thoroughness, with care).
Sakka, Ruler of the gods, Mahāli,
was, earlier, as a human being,
a wanderer seen to dwell in a house (āvasathaṃ).
Thus he is called 'Vāsava' (vāsa house-dweller).
Sakka, Ruler of the gods, Mahāli,
can perceive a thousand objects in an instant.
Thus he is called 'Sahassakkha' (Sahassa + akkha. thousand-eyed).
Mahāli, Sakka, Ruler of the gods',
chief wife is an Asura maiden named Suga.
Thus he is called 'Sujampatī' (-patī Suja'shusband).
Sakka, Ruler of the gods, Mahāli,
constructed a masterful-rulership (issariya + ādhipaccaṃ)
as king
over the Gods of the Thirty and Three (devānaṃ Tāvatiṃsānaṃ).
Thus he is called 'Ruler of the Gods'.
Sakka, Ruler of the gods, Mahāli,
earlier, as a human being,
made seven vows
by the undertaking and fulfilling of which
he arrived at Sakkaship.
What were those seven vows?
[ 1 ] However goes life,
I will support my mother and father.
[ 2 ] However goes life,
I will pay due respect to the elders of the clan.
[ 3 ] However goes life,
I will be mild of speech.
[ 4 ] However goes life,
I will not be of malicious speech.
[ 5 ] However goes life,
I will[1] live inhabiting a home
with a heart without
the stain of stinginess
freely-generos
composed and
open handed
yeilding and
intent on whatever is liberality
focused on giving and
sharing.
[ 6 ] However goes life,
I will speak truth.[2]
[ 7 ] However goes life,
I will not become angry,
and if anger should arise in me,
may it be quickly driven out.
These are the seven vows taken by
Sakka, Ruler of the gods, Mahāli,
when earlier, as a human being,
by the undertaking and fulfilling of which
he arrived at Sakkaship.
Mother and father supporting;
the elders of the clan respecting
of speech mild, not malicious
without the stain of stinginess;
truthful
rid of anger
of such a one
the gods of the three and thirty
call him:
"good man".
[1] I do not see "assam" > "atth" in this vow, and do not see how to make this into a vow without something like it somewhere. But maybe the Pāḷi is beyond me. I have just followed Mrs. Rhys-Davids and Bhikkhu Bodhi. In a similar way there is no "bhikkhu" in any of the names. The word "samāno" which is being translated "bhikkhus" by both Mrs. Rhys-Davids and Bhikkhu Bodhi, means "wanderer" and the Buddha is not speaking to a group of bhikkhus but to Mahāli. Both translators have not perceived that Sakka is at this point being referred to as a wanderer in his former human life.
I don't see a problem in cases of using the same translation as another translator. In the case of the Buddha's suttas, translators are trying to arrive at a true translation and if someone has got it the best way it can be got, then it should be copied. This is not a literary exercise, but an effort to arrive at the truth. But when translators copy each other's mistakes we have a problem. Someone is not actually thinking. Or worse, thinking "this sutta is not worth thinking about."
[2] Note that this is not the way the Buddha puts this idea which is to "abstain from saying that which is not true".
