Aṇguttara Nikāya
Pañcaka Nipāta
V: Muṇḍa-Rāja Vagga
The Book of the Gradual Sayings
The Book of the Fives
V. Rajah Muṇḍa
Sutta 49
Kosala Suttaṃ
The Kosalan
Translated by E. M. Hare
Copyright The Pali Text Society
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[1][than][hekh][bodh] Thus have I heard:
Once while the Exalted One was dwelling near Sāvatthī,
at Jeta Grove,
in Anāthapiṇḍika's Park
rajah Pasenadi,[1] the Kosalan, paid him a visit
and, after saluting,
sat down at one side.
Now at that time Mallikā, the ranee, died.
Then a man approached rajah Pasenadi
and whispered in his ear:
'Sire, the ranee Mallikā is dead.'
[48] And when the rajah heard this,
he was sorely grieved
and sick at heart,
his shoulders drooped,
his mouth fell
and he sat brooding,
unable to speak.[2]
And the Exalted One, seeing him sorely grieved
and sick at heart,
his shoulders drooping,
his mouth fallen
and sitting brooding,
unable to speak,
spoke to him and said;
'There are, Maharajah, five states not to be got to
by recluse or godly man,
by deva,
Māra
or Brahmā,
nor by anyone in the world.
What five?
Where ageing brings no old age —
that state is not to be got to
by recluse or godly man,
by deva,
Māra
or Brahmā,
nor by anyone in the world.
■
Where sickening brings no sickness —
that state is not to be got to
by recluse or godly man,
by deva,
Māra
or Brahmā,
nor by anyone in the world.
■
Where dying death —
that state is not to be got to
by recluse or godly man,
by deva,
Māra
or Brahmā,
nor by anyone in the world.
■
Where wasting destruction —
that state is not to be got to
by recluse or godly man,
by deva,
Māra
or Brahmā,
nor by anyone in the world.
■
Where ending brings the end —
that state is not to be got to
by recluse or godly man,
by deva,
Māra
or Brahmā,
nor by anyone in the world.
§
Maharajah, to the unlearned,
average man,
ageing brings old age;
and when he is old,
he reflects not thus:
"Not to me only
does ageing bring old age,
but wheresoever there is a coming and going,
a passing on
and an arising of creatures,
to all,
ageing brings old age:
and if, when old age comes,
I should mourn and pine,
weep and wail
and beat the breast
and fall into distraction;
food would not please me,
ugliness would come upon my body,
affairs would be neglected,
enemies would rejoice,
while friends would grieve."
And when old age comes,
he mourns,
pines,
weeps,
wails,
beats his breast
and falls into distraction.
Maharajah, this man is called
an unlearned average man;
pierced by the poisoned dart of sorrow,
he just torments himself.
§
Again, monks, to the unlearned, average man, sickening brings sickness;
and when he is sick,
he reflects not thus:
"Not to me only
does sickening brings sickness,
but wheresoever there is a coming and going,
a passing on
and an arising of creatures,
to all,
sickening brings sickness:
and if, when sickness comes,
I should mourn and pine,
weep and wail
and beat the breast
and fall into distraction;
food would not please me,
ugliness would come upon my body,
affairs would be neglected,
enemies would rejoice,
while friends would grieve."
And when sickness comes,
he mourns,
pines,
weeps,
wails,
beats his breast
and falls into distraction.
Maharajah, this man is called
an unlearned average man;
pierced by the poisoned dart of sorrow,
he just torments himself.
■
Again, monks, to the unlearned, average man,
dying brings death;
and when he is dying,
he reflects not thus:
"Not to me only
does dying bring death,
but wheresoever there is a coming and going,
a passing on
and an arising of creatures,
to all,
dying brings death:
and if, when dying comes,
I should mourn and pine,
weep and wail
and beat the breast
and fall into distraction;
food would not please me,
ugliness would come upon my body,
affairs would be neglected,
enemies would rejoice,
while friends would grieve."
And when dying comes,
he mourns,
pines,
weeps,
wails,
beats his breast
and falls into distraction.
Maharajah, this man is called
an unlearned average man;
pierced by the poisoned dart of sorrow,
he just torments himself.
■
Again, monks, to the unlearned, average man,
wasting brings destruction;
and when he is wasting,
he reflects not thus:
"Not to me only
does wasting bring destruction,
but wheresoever there is a coming and going,
a passing on
and an arising of creatures,
to all,
wasting brings destruction:
and if, when wasting comes,
I should mourn and pine,
weep and wail
and beat the breast
and fall into distraction;
food would not please me,
ugliness would come upon my body,
affairs would be neglected,
enemies would rejoice,
while friends would grieve."
And when wasting comes,
he mourns,
pines,
weeps,
wails,
beats his breast
and falls into distraction.
Maharajah, this man is called
an unlearned average man;
pierced by the poisoned dart of sorrow,
he just torments himself.
■
Again, monks, to the unlearned, average man,
ending brings the end;
and when the end is near,
he reflects not thus:
"Not to me only
does ending bring the end,
but wheresoever there is a coming and going of creatures,
a passing on
and an arising,
to all, ending brings the end;
and if, when the end is near,
I should mourn and pine,
weep and wail
and beat the breast
and fall into distraction;
food would not please me,
ugliness would come upon my body,
affairs would be neglected,
enemies would rejoice,
while friends would grieve."
And when the end is near,
he mourns,
pines,
weeps,
wails,
beats his breast
and falls into distraction.
Maharajah, this man is called
an unlearned average man;
pierced by the poisoned dart of sorrow,
he just torments himself.
§
So also, to the learned Ariyan disciple,
ageing brings old age;
but when he is old,
he does reflect:
"Not to me only
does ageing bring old age,
but wheresoever there is a coming and going,
a passing on
and an arising of creatures,
to all,
ageing brings old age:
and if, when old age comes,
I should mourn and pine,
weep and wail
and beat the breast
and fall into distraction;
food would not please me,
ugliness would come upon my body,
affairs would be neglected,
enemies would rejoice,
while friends would grieve."
And when age comes,
he does not mourn
nor pine
nor weep
nor wail
nör beat his breast
nor fall into distraction.
Maharajah, this man is called
a learned Ariyan disciple;
drawn out
is the poisoned dart of sorrow
with which the unlearned average man
torments himself;
the sorrowless,
dart-free,
Ariyan disciple
has cooled the self entirely.
■
Again, monks, to the learned Ariyan disciple
sickening brings sickness;
but when he is sick,
he does reflect:
"Not to me only
does sickening brings sickness,
but wheresoever there is a coming and going,
a passing on
and an arising of creatures,
to all,
sickening brings sickness:
and if, when sickness comes,
I should mourn and pine,
weep and wail
and beat the breast
and fall into distraction;
food would not please me,
ugliness would come upon my body,
affairs would be neglected,
enemies would rejoice,
while friends would grieve."
And when sickness comes,
he does not mourn
nor pine
nor weep
nor wail
nör beat his breast
nor fall into distraction.
Maharajah, this man is called
a learned Ariyan disciple;
drawn out
is the poisoned dart of sorrow
with which the unlearned average man
torments himself;
the sorrowless,
dart-free,
Ariyan disciple
has cooled the self entirely.
■
Again, monks, to the learned Ariyan disciple
dying brings death;
but when he is dying,
he does reflect:
"Not to me only
does dying brings death,
but wheresoever there is a coming and going,
a passing on
and an arising of creatures,
to all,
dying brings death:
and if, when dying comes,
I should mourn and pine,
weep and wail
and beat the breast
and fall into distraction;
food would not please me,
ugliness would come upon my body,
affairs would be neglected,
enemies would rejoice,
while friends would grieve."
And when dying comes,
he does not mourn
nor pine
nor weep
nor wail
nör beat his breast
nor fall into distraction.
Maharajah, this man is called
a learned Ariyan disciple;
drawn out
is the poisoned dart of sorrow
with which the unlearned average man
torments himself;
the sorrowless,
dart-free,
Ariyan disciple
has cooled the self entirely.
■
Again, monks, to the learned Ariyan disciple
wasting brings destruction;
but when wasting comes,
he does reflect:
"Not to me only
does wasting brings destruction,
but wheresoever there is a coming and going,
a passing on
and an arising of creatures,
to all,
wasting brings destruction:
and if, when wasting comes,
I should mourn and pine,
weep and wail
and beat the breast
and fall into distraction;
food would not please me,
ugliness would come upon my body,
affairs would be neglected,
enemies would rejoice,
while friends would grieve."
And when wasting comes,
he does not mourn
nor pine
nor weep
nor wail
nör beat his breast
nor fall into distraction.
Maharajah, this man is called
a learned Ariyan disciple;
drawn out
is the poisoned dart of sorrow
with which the unlearned average man
torments himself;
the sorrowless,
dart-free,
Ariyan disciple
has cooled the self entirely.
■
Again, monks, to the learned Ariyan disciple
ending brings the end;
and when the end is near,
he reflects:
"Not to me only
does ending bring the end,
but wheresoever there is a coming and going of creatures,
a passing on
and an arising,
to all, ending brings the end;
and if, when the end is near,
I should mourn and pine,
weep and wail
and beat the breast
and fall into distraction;
food would not please me,
ugliness would come upon my body,
affairs would be neglected,
enemies would rejoice,
while friends would grieve."
Maharajah, this man is called
a learned Ariyan disciple;
drawn out
is the poisoned dart of sorrow
with which the unlearned average man
torments himself;
the sorrowless,
dart-free,
Ariyan disciple
has cooled the self entirely.
Maharajah, these are the five states
not to be got to
by recluse or godly man,
by deva,
Māra
or Brahmā,
nor by anyone in the world.
§
Grieve not, nor weep! It profits not, e'en not a whit.
And enemies rejoice to see one's grief and pain;
But when the sage, skilled in the quest of good, ne'er quakes
Beneath misfortune's blows, his enemies are pained,
Seeing his face of old unchanged. By chant and charm,
Well-worded speech, gifts and by customs rightly kept,
Where and whatever good may gotten be, just there
Let him exert himself for that. And when he knows:
Neither by me nor other may this good be won —
Ungrieving, bearing all things, let him think: How now,
How shall I best apply my strength to what's at hand?'
[1] He was the same age as the Buddha (F. Dial. ii, 66). See K.S. i, 93 ff. for a whole set of suttas giving conversations he had with the B.; on Mallikā, p. 101 and n.; at A. iv, 348, her name appears in the list of upāsikās. For Kosala generally see C.H.I. i, 178-82.
[2] This is stock; see Vin. iii, 162 and references given at K.S. i, 155; here Comy. pattakkhandho-ti, patita-.
