Aṇguttara Nikāya
X. Dasaka-Nipāta
III. Mahā Vagga
The Book of the Gradual Sayings
X. The Book of the Tens
III: The Great Chapter
Sutta 30
Dutiya Kosala Suttaṃ
The Kosalan (b)
Translated from the Pali by F. L. Woodward, M.A.
Copyright The Pali Text Society
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Once the Exalted One was dwelling near Sāvatthī at Jeta Grove in Anāthapiṇḍika's Park.
On that occasion the raja Pasenadi of Kosala
had just returned from a sham[1] fight,
having being victorious,
and attained his object.
Then the raja turned
in the direction of the Park.
So far as the cart-road went
he rode in his chariot,
and then got down and reached the residence.
Now at that time
a number of monks were walking up and down in the open air.
Then Pasenadi the raja of Kosala went towards those monks,
and on reaching them thus accosted them:
"Pray, your reverences,
where now is the Exalted One staying,
that arahant,
the fully enlightened one?
I long to behold that Exalted One."
"Yonder is his lodging, maharaja,
with the door shut.
Do you go up quietly without nervousness,
enter the verandah,
cough and rattle the door-bar.
The Exalted One will open the door to you."
So the raja Pasenadi of Kosala
went up to the lodging
as he was told,
coughed and rattled the door-bar.
And the Exalted One opened the door.[2]
■
Then Pasenadi entered the lodging,
fell with his head at the [47] feet of the Exalted One,
kissed his feet
and stroked them with his hands,
and announced his name,[3] saying,
"Sir, I am Pasenadi, the raja of Kosala,
Pasenadi the raja of Kosala am I."
[66]"But, maharaja, seeing what significance therein
do you show me this profound humility
and pay such affectionate obeisance
to this body of mine?"
"To show my gratitude,[4] sir,
to show my thankfulness to the Exalted One
do I show this profound humility
and pay such affectionate obeisance.
§
For the Exalted One, sir,
is one who is set on the profit,
on the happiness of many folk,
he is one who establishes many folk
in the Ariyan method,
that is, conformity with whatsoever is lovely and goodly.
Inasmuch as the Exalted One
is one who is set on the profit,
on the happiness of many folk,
he is one who establishes many folk
in the Ariyan method,
that is, conformity with whatsoever is lovely and goodly,
that, sir, is why I show my gratitude,
show my thankfulness to the Exalted One
show this profound humility
and pay such affectionate obeisance.
■
Then again, sir,
the Exalted One is virtuous,
he has the Buddha-virtues,
the Ariyan,
the goodly virtues,
he is possessed of the goodly virtues.
Inasmuch as the Exalted One
is virtuous,
he has the Buddha-virtues,
the Ariyan,
the goodly virtues,
he is possessed of the goodly virtues,
that, sir, is why I show my gratitude,
show my thankfulness to the Exalted One
show this profound humility
and pay such affectionate obeisance.
■
Again, sir, the Exalted One has for many a day been a forest-dweller,
a haunter of forest solitudes,
[67]resorting to the solitary lodging of the forest.
Inasmuch as the Exalted One
has for many a day been a forest-dweller,
a haunter of forest solitudes,
resorting to the solitary lodging of the forest,
that, sir, is why I show my gratitude,
show my thankfulness to the Exalted One
show this profound humility
and pay such affectionate obeisance.
■
Yet again, sir, the Exalted One
is well content with whatsoever offerings
of robes and alms-food,
lodging and bed,
supply of medicines and requisites in sickness
he may receive.
Inasmuch as the Exalted One
is well content with whatsoever offerings
of robes and alms-food,
lodging and bed,
supply of medicines and requisites in sickness
he may receive,
that, sir, is why I show my gratitude,
show my thankfulness to the Exalted One
show this profound humility
and pay such affectionate obeisance.
■
And he is worshipful,
worthy of honour,
worthy of offerings,
of salutations with clasped hands,
he is a field of merit
unsurpassed for the world.
Inasmuch as the Exalted One
is worshipful,
worthy of honour,
worthy of offerings,
of salutations with clasped hands,
he is a field of merit
unsurpassed for the world,
that, sir, is why I show my gratitude,
show my thankfulness to the Exalted One
show this profound humility
and pay such affectionate obeisance.
■
Yet again, sir,
as regards talk[5] that is serious,
fit for opening [48] up the heart,
that is to say,
talk about wanting little,
about contentment,
about solitude,
avoiding society,
putting forth energy;
talk about virtue,
concentration of mind,
wisdom, release,
knowledge and insight of release -
such talk as this the Exalted One gets at pleasure,
without pain
and without stint.
Inasmuch as the Exalted One
as regards talk that is serious,
fit for opening up the heart,
that is to say,
talk about wanting little,
about contentment,
about solitude,
avoiding society,
putting forth energy;
talk about virtue,
concentration of mind,
wisdom, release,
knowledge and insight of release -
such talk as this the Exalted One gets at pleasure,
without pain
and without stint,
that, sir, is why I show my gratitude,
show my thankfulness to the Exalted One
show this profound humility
and pay such affectionate obeisance.
■
Then again, sir, the Exalted One
wins at pleasure,
without pain
and without stint,
the four musings
which are of the clear consciousness,[6]
[68]which are concerned with the happy life
in this same visible state.
Inasmuch as the Exalted One
wins at pleasure,
without pain
and without stint,
the four musings
which are of the clear consciousness,
which are concerned with the happy life
in this same visible state,
that, sir, is why I show my gratitude,
show my thankfulness to the Exalted One
show this profound humility
and pay such affectionate obeisance.
■
Again, sir, the Exalted One
can recall his manifold dwelling aforetime,[7] thus:
One birth,
two births,
three, four, five,
even ten births,
twenty, thirty, forty, fifty births;
even a hundred births,
a thousand, a hundred thousand births.
Likewise the divers folding up of aeons,
the divers unfolding of aeons,
the divers folding-unfolding of aeons.
(remembering):
'At that time I had such a name,
was of such a family,
of such complexion,
was thus supported,
thus and thus experienced weal and woe,
had such and such span of life.
As that one,
I deceasing thence
rose up again at that time;
then too I had such a name,
was of such a family,
of such complexion,
was thus supported,
thus and thus experienced weal and woe,
had such and such span of life.
As that one,
I deceasing thence rose up again here.'
Thus with all details and characteristics
he can recall his manifold dwellings aforetime.
Inasmuch as the Exalted One
can recall his manifold dwelling aforetime, thus:
One birth,
two births,
three, four, five,
even ten births,
twenty, thirty, forty, fifty births;
even a hundred births,
a thousand, a hundred thousand births;
Likewise the divers folding up of aeons,
the divers unfolding of aeons,
the divers folding-unfolding of aeons;
(remembering):
'At that time I had such a name,
was of such a family,
of such complexion,
was thus supported,
thus and thus experienced weal and woe,
had such and such span of life;
As that one,
I deceasing thence
rose up again at that time;
then too I had such a name,
was of such a family,
of such complexion,
was thus supported,
thus and thus experienced weal and woe,
had such and such span of life;
As that one,
I deceasing thence rose up again here;'
Thus with all details and characteristics
he can recall his manifold dwellings aforetime,
that, sir, is why I show my gratitude,
show my thankfulness to the Exalted One
show this profound humility
and pay such affectionate obeisance.
■
And again, sir, the Exalted One with the deva-sight,
purified and surpassing that of men,
beholds beings deceasing
and rising up again;
beings both mean and excellent,
fair and foul,
gone to a happy bourn,
gone to an ill-bourn
according to their deeds
(so as to say):
'Alas, sirs, these beings,
given to the practice of evil deeds,
[69]of evil words,
of evil thoughts,
scoffing at the Ariyans,
of perverted view
and reaping the fruits of their perverted view -
these beings,
when body broke up,
beyond death rose up again in the Waste,
the Ill-bourn,
the Downfall,
in Purgatory!'
Or: 'Ah, sirs! these beings,
given to the practice of good deeds,
of good words,
of good thoughts,
[49] not scoffing at the Ariyans,
but of sound view
and reaping the fruits of their sound view -
these beings,
when body broke up,
beyond death rose up again in the Happy Bourn
in the heaven world.'
Thus with the deva-sight,
purified and surpassing that of men,
beholds beings deceasing
and rising up again;
beings both mean and excellent,
fair and foul,
gone to a happy bourn,
gone to an ill-bourn
according to their deeds.
Inasmuch as the Exalted One
with the deva-sight,
purified and surpassing that of men,
beholds beings deceasing
and rising up again;
beings both mean and excellent,
fair and foul,
gone to a happy bourn,
gone to an ill-bourn
according to their deeds
(so as to say):
'Alas, sirs, these beings,
given to the practice of evil deeds,
of evil words,
of evil thoughts,
scoffing at the Ariyans,
of perverted view
and reaping the fruits of their perverted view -
these beings,
when body broke up,
beyond death rose up again in the Waste,
the Ill-bourn,
the Downfall,
in Purgatory!'
Or: 'Ah, sirs, these beings,
given to the practice of good deeds,
of good words,
of good thoughts,
not scoffing at the Ariyans,
but of sound view
and reaping the fruits of their sound view -
these beings,
when body broke up,
beyond death rose up again in the Happy Bourn
in the heaven world;'
Thus with the deva-sight,
purified and surpassing that of men,
beholds beings deceasing
and rising up again;
beings both mean and excellent,
fair and foul,
gone to a happy bourn,
gone to an ill-bourn
according to their deeds,
that, sir, is why I show my gratitude,
show my thankfulness to the Exalted One
show this profound humility
and pay such affectionate obeisance.
■
Yet again, sir,
by the destruction of the cankers
the Exalted One
in this same visible state
attains the heart's release,
the insight of release,
himself acquiring it by his own comprehension,
and realizing it
abides therein.
Inasmuch as the Exalted One
by the destruction of the cankers
in this same visible state
attains the heart's release,
the insight of release,
himself acquiring it by his own comprehension,
and realizing it
abides therein
seeing this significance
do I thus show this profound humility
and pay such affectionate obeisance
to the Exalted One.
Well now, sir, we must be going.
We are busy folk and have much to do."
"Do what seems good to you, mahārāja."
So Pasenadi the rājā of Kosala,
rising from his seat,
saluted the Exalted One by keeping his right side towards him
and departed.
[1] Uyyodhika. Our Comy. takes it as a real fight with Ajātasattu.
[2] Comy. will not allow that the Great Man stooped to open the door himself: 'He just willed it to open.' Cf. Majjhima, Sutta 89.
n.3: Names at one time were held to have great power and were generally kept secret. To pronounce one's name in such a way was to show great respect and friendship.
n.4: This sutta is certainly suspect on the grounds that Pasenadi would not have known of several of these things concerning the Buddha. Usually if a person was only repeating what they had heard they would say so. As for who knew about the conversation, in MN 89, where a similar conversation is said to have occurred, Gotama repeats the sutta to the bhikkhus himself. (Woodward cites this sutta himself above!) Otherwise it was a condition of Ānanda's becoming Gotama's attendant that he (Ānanda) be told of all Gotama's suttas.
— p.p.
[3] Hardly necessary to do so. But see a similar case at Ud. vi, 2, where he announces himself to the wandering informers in the same words.
[4] Literally 'seeing the significance of gratitude.' Comy. thinks this refers to the cure of his habitual gluttony by the Master, K.S. i, 108. Here the raja is made to recite the qualities ascribed to virtuous monks, together with their occult attainments, with which he would hardly be acquainted. Moreover, who recorded this private conversation!
[5] Cf. G.S. iii, 91; Ud. 36.
[6] Cf.G.S. ii, 24.
[7] As above III, i (21).
