Aṇguttara Nikāya
Pañcaka-Nipāta
XX. Brāhmaṇa Vagga
The Book of the Gradual Sayings
The Book of the Fives
Chapter XX: The Brāman
Sutta 197
Vassantarāya Suttaṃ
The Rains
Translated by E. M. Hare
Copyright The Pali Text Society
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[1] Thus have I heard:
Once the Exalted One dwelt near Sāvatthī;
and there he addressed the monks, saying:
"Monks."
'Yes, lord,' they replied; and the Exalted One said:
"Monks, there are these five stays[1] to rain,
and seers know not the signs thereof,
nor can their eyes penetrate there.
What five?
Monks, when above in the sky
the fiery element rages,
the pent up storm clouds part their ways —
this, monks, is the first stay to rain,
and seers know not the sign thereof,
nor can their eyes penetrate there.
■
Again, when above in the sky
the windy element rages,
[178] the pent up storm clouds part their ways —
this, monks, is the second stay to rain,
and seers know not the sign thereof,
nor can their eyes penetrate there.
■
Again, when Rāhu,[2] the Asura king,
gathers water with his hand
and spills it into the mighty ocean —
this, monks, is the third stay to rain,
and seers know not the sign thereof,
nor can their eyes penetrate there.
■
Again, when the rain-cloud devas are indolent —
this, monks, is the fourth stay to rain,
and seers know not the sign thereof,
nor can their eyes penetrate there.
■
Again, monks, when men are not Dhamma-doers —
this is the fifth stay to rain,
and seers know not the sign thereof,
nor can their eyes penetrate there.
Verily, monks, these are the five stays to rain,
and seers know not the signs thereof,
nor can their eyes penetrate there.'
[1] Cf. Job xxxviii, 37: 'Who can stay the bottles of heaven?'
[2] Who at eclipses swallows the moon.
