Aṇguttara Nikāya
Chakka Nipāta
IV. Devatā Vagga
The Book of the Gradual Sayings
The Book of the Sixes
Chapter IV: The Devas
Sutta 42
Nāgita Suttaṃ
The Venerable Nāgita
Translated from the Pali by E.M. Hare.
Copyright The Pali Text Society
Commercial Rights Reserved
For details see Terms of Use.
[1][than] Thus have I said:[ed1]
Once[1] the Exalted One walked a walk
with a great company of monks
among the Kosalese
and came to a Kosalan brahman village called Icchānangala.
And there in the Icchānaṇgala grove the Exalted One dwelt.
Now the brahman householders of that place heard:
'The recluse, Master Gotama,
the Sakya,
gone forth from the Sakya clan,
has arrived at Icchānaṇgala
and stays in the grove hard by;
and of that same Master Gotama
this fair report is noised abroad:
"He is the Exalted One,
arahant,
perfectly enlightened,
endowed with wisdom and righteousness,
one well-gone,
a world-knower,
the unsurpassed,
a tamer of tamable men,
a teacher,
a Buddha of devas and men,
the Exalted One!
Having realized more-knowledge himself,
he declares it to this world
with its devas
and Māras
and Brahmas,
to this earth with its recluses and brahmans,
its devas and men;
and he teaches Dhamma,
lovely in the beginning,
lovely in.the middle
and lovely in the end;
and sets forth the godly life,
utterly pure and perfect,
both in spirit and letter.
Well indeed is it to see such arahants!"'
■
Then at dawn
those brahman householders went to the grove,
taking with them much hard and soft food;
and they stood at the gateway making a great tumult.
■
Now at that time the venerable Nāgita served the Exalted One.
Then said the Exalted One to the venerable Nāgita:
'What is this great tumult, Nāgita?
'Tis as though fisher-folk had caught a great haul!'
■
'These, lord, are the Icchānaṇgala brahman householders,
who have brought much hard and soft food
for the Exalted One
and the monks;
and they now stand without.'
■
'I have naught to do with homage, Nāgita,
nor need I homage.
■
Whosoever cannot obtain at will,
freely,
readily,
the ease of renunciation,
the ease of seclusion,
the ease of calm,
the ease of enlightenment,
as I can,
let him wallow[2] [242] in that dung-like[3] ease,
that clog[4] of ease,
that ease gotten of gains,
favours
and flattery.'
■
'Lord, let the Exalted One accept their offering now;
let the Well-gone accept!
Lord, now is the time to accept;
for whithersoever the Exalted One shall henceforth go,
the brahman householders of town and countryside
shall be so inclined.
Lord, just as when the rain-deva rains abundantly,
the waters flow with the incline;
evān so, lord,
whithersoever the Exalted One shall henceforth go,
the brahman householders of town and countryside
shall be so inclined.
And why?
So great, lord, is the Exalted One's virtue and wisdom.'
■
'I have naught to do with homage, Nāgita,
nor need I homage;
but whosoever cannot obtain at will,
freely,
readily,
the ease of renunciation,
seclusion,
calm,
enlightenment,
as I can,
let him wallow in that dung-like ease,
that clog of ease,
that ease gotten of gains,
favours
and flattery.
■
Suppose, Nagita, I see a monk seated,
rapt,
on the outskirts of some village;
then I think:
"Presently a park-man
or a novice
will disturb the reverend sir
and will oust him from that concentration."
So, Nāgita, I am not pleased
with that monk's abode.
-◦-
Or I see one forest-gone,
seated nodding in the forest;
then I think:
"Presently he will dispel sleep and fatigue,
attend to the forest-sense[5] and solitude."
So, Nāgita, I am pleased
with his forest-abiding.
-◦-
Or I see one forest-gone,
seated,
rapt;
then I think:
"Presently he will compose
the uncomposed mind
or will continue to ward
the freed mind."
So, Nāgita, I am pleased
with his forest-abiding.
-◦-
Or I see one living on a village outskirts,
getting the requisites:
robe,
alms,
bed
and medicaments;
and, delighting in those gains,
favours
and flattery,
he neglects to go apart,
neglects the forest,
the woodland ways,
the lonely lodgings;
he gets his living
by visiting village,
town
and capital.
So, Nāgita, I am not pleased
with his abiding.
-◦-
Or I see a monk,
forest-gone,
getting the requisites,
but staving off gains,
favours
and flattery,
neglecting not to go [243] apart,
neglecting not the woodland ways,
the lonely lodgings.
So, Nāgita,
I am pleased with that monk's forest-abiding.
-◦-
But when walking along the highway, Nāgita,
I see nothing whatever in front nor behind,
it suits[6] me,
even over the calls of nature.'
[1] This sutta with two more items and some variation recurs at A. iv, 340; see above, Fives, § 30.
[2] Sādiyeyya, no doubt from √svad, but possibly from √sad.
[3] Mīḷha.
[4] Middha-
[5] Arañña-saññaṃ. Cf. Th. I, ver. 110.
[6] Phāsu me; one wonders what he would have thought modem highways suitable for!
[ed1] In this single case Hare has used this translation. Otherwise he uses 'Thus have I heard'.
