Saṃyutta Nikāya
I. Sagātha Vagga
1. Devatā-saṇyutta
5. Addha-Vagga
The Book of the Kindred Sayings
I. Kindred Sayings with Verses
1. The Devas
5. The 'Over-Under' Suttas[1]
Translated by Mrs. Rhys Davids
Assisted by Sūriyagoḍa Sumangala Thera
Public Domain
Sutta 61
Name
[61.1][bodh] THUS HAVE I HEARD:
The Exalted One was once staying near Sāvatthī, at Jeta Grove, in Anāthapiṇḍika's Park.
There a certain deva, when the night was far spent, shedding radiance with his effulgent beauty over the entire Jeta Grove, came into the presence of the Exalted One, and coming, saluted him, and stood at one side. So standing, he spoke this verse before him: —
"What is it that all things doth override?
Nought is in greater number found than this?
[55] And what is it above all other things
That bringeth everything beneath its sway?"
"Name is it that all things doth override,
Nought is in greater number found than name;
And name it is above all other things
That bringeth everything beneath its sway."
Sutta 62
The Heart (mind)[2]
[62.1][bodh] THUS HAVE I HEARD:
The Exalted One was once staying near Sāvatthī, at Jeta Grove, in Anāthapiṇḍika's Park.
There a certain deva, when the night was far spent, shedding radiance with his effulgent beauty over the entire Jeta Grove, came into the presence of the Exalted One, and coming, saluted him, and stood at one side. So standing, he spoke this verse before him: —
"Now what is that whereby the world is led?
And what is that whereby it plagues itself?[3]
And what is that above all other things
That bringeth everything beneath its sway?"
"Its thoughts are that whereby the world is led,
And by its thoughts it ever plagues itself,
And thought it is above all other things
That bringeth everything beneath its sway."
Sutta 63
Craving
[63.1][bodh] THUS HAVE I HEARD:
The Exalted One was once staying near Sāvatthī, at Jeta Grove, in Anāthapiṇḍika's Park.
There a certain deva, when the night was far spent, shedding radiance with his effulgent beauty over the entire Jeta Grove, came into the presence of the Exalted One, and coming, saluted him, and stood at one side. So standing, he spoke this verse before him: —
"Now what is that whereby the world is led?
And what is that whereby it plagues itself?
And what is that above all other things
That bringeth everything beneath its sway?"
"Its cravings are that whereby the world is led,
And by its cravings it ever plagues itself,
And craving it is above all other things
That bringeth everything beneath its sway."
Sutta 64
The Chain
[64.1][bodh] THUS HAVE I HEARD:
The Exalted One was once staying near Sāvatthī, at Jeta Grove, in Anāthapiṇḍika's Park.
There a certain deva, when the night was far spent, shedding radiance with his effulgent beauty over the entire Jeta Grove, came into the presence of the Exalted One, and coming, saluted him, and stood at one side. So standing, he spoke this verse before him: —
"Now what is that whereby the world enchains?
What is it's going over, going through?[4]
And by abandoning of what is it
That 'Lo! Nibbāna' we [are wont to] say?"
[56] "Pleasure[5] is that whereby the world enchains
By thinking doth the world go o'er, go through.
And by abandoning of craving is't
That 'Lo! Nibbāna' we [are wont to] say."
Sutta 65
The Bond
[65.1][bodh] THUS HAVE I HEARD:
The Exalted One was once staying near Sāvatthī, at Jeta Grove, in Anāthapiṇḍika's Park.
There a certain deva, when the night was far spent, shedding radiance with his effulgent beauty over the entire Jeta Grove, came into the presence of the Exalted One, and coming, saluted him, and stood at one side. So standing, he spoke this verse before him: —
"Now what is that whereby the world doth bind?
What is it's going o'er and going through?
And by abandoning of what is it
That folk may sever that which holds them bound?"
"Pleasure is that whereby the world doth bind.
By thinking doth the world go o'er, go through,
And by abandoning of craving is't
That folk may sever that which holds them bound."
Sutta 66
Persecuted[6]
[66.1][bodh] THUS HAVE I HEARD:
The Exalted One was once staying near Sāvatthī, at Jeta Grove, in Anāthapiṇḍika's Park.
There a certain deva, when the night was far spent, shedding radiance with his effulgent beauty over the entire Jeta Grove, came into the presence of the Exalted One, and coming, saluted him, and stood at one side. So standing, he spoke this verse before him: —
"Tell me what doth so persecute the world?
And whereby is it shrouded and beset?
What is the dart whereby it's pierced alway,
By itch of pestering desires assailed?"
"By Death the world is held enslaved; by age
And all decay 't is shrouded and beset;
By dart of craving pierced evermore,
By itch of pestering desires assailed."
Sutta 67
Strung up
[67.1][bodh] THUS HAVE I HEARD:
The Exalted One was once staying near Sāvatthī, at Jeta Grove, in Anāthapiṇḍika's Park.
There a certain deva, when the night was far spent, shedding radiance with his effulgent beauty over the entire Jeta Grove, came into the presence of the Exalted One, and coming, saluted him, and stood at one side. So standing, he spoke this verse before him: —
"What is't whereby the world is all strung up?[7]
Whereby is it escorted, guarded sure?
What doth enclose the world and shut it in?
And wherein doth it stand planted and stayed?"[8]
[57] "By cords of craving is the world strung up;
By age is it escorted, by decay;
Death doth enclose the world and shut it in.
In suffering doth it stand planted and stayed."
Sutta 68
Shut In
[68.1][bodh] THUS HAVE I HEARD:
The Exalted One was once staying near Sāvatthī, at Jeta Grove, in Anāthapiṇḍika's Park.
There a certain deva, when the night was far spent, shedding radiance with his effulgent beauty over the entire Jeta Grove, came into the presence of the Exalted One, and coming, saluted him, and stood at one side. So standing, he spoke this verse before him: —
"What doth enclose the world and shut it in?
And wherein doth it stand planted and stayed?
What is't whereby the world is all strung up?
Whereby is it escorted, guarded sure?"
"Death doth enclose the world and shut it in.
In suffering doth it stand planted and stayed.
By cords of craving is the world strung up;
By age is it escorted, by decay."
Sutta 69
Wishes
[69.1][than][bodh] THUS HAVE I HEARD:
The Exalted One was once staying near Sāvatthī, at Jeta Grove, in Anāthapiṇḍika's Park.
There a certain deva, when the night was far spent, shedding radiance with his effulgent beauty over the entire Jeta Grove, came into the presence of the Exalted One, and coming, saluted him, and stood at one side. So standing, he spoke this verse before him: —
"What is it holds the world a prisoner?
What subjugating gains it liberty?
And by abandoning of what is it
That every bond is severed utterly?"
"By wishes[9] is the world held prisoner,
Wishes suppressing gains it liberty,
By wish [for this or that] abandoning,
Lo! every bond is severed utterly."
Sutta 70
The World
[70.1][bodh] THUS HAVE I HEARD:
The Exalted One was once staying near Sāvatthī, at Jeta Grove, in Anāthapiṇḍika's Park.
There a certain deva, when the night was far spent, shedding radiance with his effulgent beauty over the entire Jeta Grove, came into the presence of the Exalted One, and coming, saluted him, and stood at one side. So standing, he spoke this verse before him: —
"What being given, comes the world to pass?[10]
What being given, holds it intercourse?
On what depending[11] doth it hold its way?
Because of what is it so sore oppressed?"
"'Six' being given,[12] comes the world to pass.
'Six' being given, holds it intercourse.
On 'Six' depending doth it hold its way.
Because of 'Six' it is so sore oppressed."
[1] The Comy. reads, not Addhavagga, but Anvavagga, and in § 1, line 1, anvabhavī. Cf. anvagū in line 2 of the text. (The confusion between addh and anv is easy in Singhalese script.) Name, it says, overrides (abhibhavati), falls upon (anupatati) everything. There is no being or thing without a name, whether this be attached primordially or by convention. Even if a tree or mineral be of name unknown, it will be called a no-namer (anāmako). Cf. our os innominatum; Pic Sans-nom.
[2] Citta. Generally used in the Nikāyas, especially in their poetry for mind as impulsive and emotional. A prose version of the stanza occurs in A. ii, 177 (IV, 186).
[3] Parikissati.
[4] Vicāraṇaṃ. 'The walking feet of the world, the singular expressing the plural.' Comy.
[5] Nandī. See above, I, 1, § 2.
[6] Verses in Sirimaṇḍa's gāthā (Pss. of the Brethren, 448), with one variant (pari-khitto or -vārito).
[7] Uḍḍito.
[8] See above, I. 6, § 1.
[9] Lit. wish (want, desire).
[10] Kismiṃ (uppanne), writes B., seeing here a locative absolute.
[11] Upāddya.
[12] Namely, the six organs of sense, mind, as co-ordinating sensations, ranking as sixth.
