Aṇguttara Nikāya
VIII. Aṭṭhaka Nipāta
V. Uposatha Vagga

The Book of the Gradual Sayings
VIII. The Book of the Eights
V: The Observance Day

Sutta 49

Paṭhama Idha-Loka-Vijaya Suttaṃ

Of This World Here (a)

Translated from the Pali by E.M. Hare.

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[269] [178]

[1][bodh] Thus have I heard:

Once the Exalted One was dwelling near Sāvatthī
in Eastern Park
at the terraced house of Migāra's mother.

There Visākhā, the mother of Migāra, visited him and saluted and sat down at one side.

Then the Exalted One addressed her and said:

'Endowed with four qualities, Visakha,
womenfolk win power in this world;
this world is in their grasp.^[1]

With what four?

Herein, Visakha, a woman is capable at her work;
she manages the servants;
in her ways she is lovely to her lord;
she guards his wealth.

■

And how, Visakha, is a woman capable at her work?

Whatever her husband's home industries,
whether in wool or cotton,
therein she is deft and nimble;^[2]
gifted with an [179] inquiring turn of mind
into all such undertakings,
she is able to arrange and carry them out.

In this way a woman is capable at her work.

■

And how does she manage the servants?

Whatever her husband's household consists of -
slaves,
messengers
or workfolk -
she knows the work of each
by what has been done;
she knows their remissness
by what has not been done;
she knows the strength and the weakness of the sick;
she divides the hard and soft food,
each according to his share.

In this way she manages the servants.

■

And how is she lovely in her ways to her lord?

What her lord reckons to be unlovely,
that she would not commit
for very life's sake.

Thus she is lovely in her ways to her lord.

■

And how does she guard his wealth?

Whatever money, corn, silver or gold
her husband brings home,
she keeps it secure by watch and ward;
and of it she is no robber, thief, carouser or wastrel.

In this way she guards his wealth.

Endowed with these four qualities, Visakha,
womenfolk win power in this world,
this world is in their grasp.

 

§

 

Endowed with four qualities, Visakha,
womenfolk win power in the next world,
the next world is in their grasp.

With what four?

Herein, Visakha, a woman is accomplished in faith,
virtue,
charity
and wisdom.

■

And how is she accomplished in faith?

She has faith and believes in the awakening of the Tathāgata, thinking:

"Of a truth he is the Exalted One, arahant, fully awake, abounding in wisdom and righteousness,
the well-farer, world-knower,
incomparable tamer of tamable men,
teacher,
the awakened of devas and men,
the Exalted One."

Such is her faith.

■

And how is she accomplished in virtue?

She abstains from taking life,
from stealing,
from the lusts of the flesh,
from lying
and from drinking liquor,
the cause of sloth.

Such is her virtue.

■

And how is she accomplished in charity?

[180] She dwells at bome with heart purged of the stain of avarice,
given over to charity,
open-handed,
delighting in giving,
yoke-mate to asking,
she finds joy in almsgiving.

Such is her charity.

■

And how is she accomplished in wisdom?

She is wise
and is endowed with wisdom
into the way of the rise and fall of things,
with Ariyan penetration of the way
to the utter destruction of ill.

Such is her wisdom.

Endowed with these four qualities, Visakha,
womenfolk win power in the next world,
the next world is in their grasp.

 

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Deft, capable, she manages amid
His folk at work, minding her husband's wealth,
Sweet in her ways; and she is virtuous,
Believing, kind and bountiful; she clears
The onward Way^[3] to faring well hereafter.
They say a woman who is so endowed,
With these eight states, is virtuous indeed
And truthful, just. And where these eight unite,
Blessed sixteenfold,^[4] that virtuous devotee
Is born again where lovely devas dwell.'

 

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^[1] Ayaṃ sa loko āraddho hoti. Comy. ayam assā loko karaṇamattāya araddhattā paripuṇṇattā, āraddho hoti paripuṇṇo. See Hardy's note, p. 477, of A. iv; S.e. omits sa; Comy. ayaṃ sā.

^[2] Analasa, lit. not lazy.

^[3] Niccaṃ maggaṃ or, inward Way.

^[4] Comy. eight in this world and eight in the next.