Saṃyutta Nikāya
3. Khandha Vagga
22. Khandha Saṃyutta
1. Pathama Nakula-Pita Vagga
The Book of the Kindred Sayings
3. The Book Called the Khandhā-Vagga
Containing Kindred Sayings on the Elements of Sensory Existence and other Subjects
22. Kindred Sayings on Elements
1. Nakula-pitar (the First)
Namo tassa Bhagavato arahato Sammā-Sam-Buddhassa
Sutta 1
Nakula-Pitā Suttaṃ
Nakula-Pitar
Translated by F. L. Woodward
Edited by Mrs. Rhys Davids
Copyright The Pali Text Society
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[1][bit][than][bodh] THUS have I heard:—
The Exalted One was once staying among the Bhaggi,
at Crocodile-Haunt[1]
in Bhesakala[2] Grove
in the Deer-Park.
Then the housefather Nakula-pitar came to the Exalted One,
saluted him and sat down at one side.
As he sat there, the housefather Nakula-pitar addressed the Exalted One, saying:—
"Master, I am a broken-down old man,
aged, far-gone in years,[3]
I have reached life's end,
I am sick and always ailing.
Moreover, Master, I am one
to whom rarely comes the sight
of the Exalted One
and the worshipful brethren.[4]
Let the Exalted One cheer and comfort me,
so that it be a profit and a blessing unto me
for many a long day."
[2] "True it is, true it is, housefather,
that your body is weak[5] and cumbered.[6]
For one carrying this body about, housefather,
to claim but a moment's health
would be sheer foolishness.
Wherefore, housefather,
thus you should train yourself:—
"Though my body is sick,
my mind shall not be sick."
Thus, housefather, must you train yourself."
Then Nakula-pitar, the housefather,
welcomed and gladly heard the words of the Exalted One,
and rising from his seat
he saluted the Exalted One by the right,
and departed.
§
And he came to the venerable Sāriputta,
saluted him and sat down at one side.
As he sat there,
the venerable Sāriputta said to the housefather Nakula-pitar:—
"Calmed are your senses, housefather:
clear and pure is your complexion.[7]
Surely to-day you have had pious converse
face-to-face with the Exalted One?"
"How could it be otherwise, Master?
I have just now been sprinkled with the nectar[8]
of pious converse by the Exalted One."
"And in what way, housefather,
were you sprinkled with the nectar
of pious converse by the Exalted One?"
"Well, Master, I went to the Exalted One,
saluted him, and sat down at one side.
As I sat thus, Master,
I said to the Exalted One:—
'Master, I am a broken-down old man,
aged, far gone in years,
I have reached my life's end,
I am sick and always ailing.
Moreover, Master, I am one to whom
rarely comes the sight of the Exalted One
and the worshipful brethren.
Let the Exalted One cheer and comfort me,
so that it be a profit and a blessing unto me
for many a long day.'
'True it is, true it is, housefather,
that your body is weak and cumbered.
For one carrying this body about, housefather,
to claim but a moment's health
were sheer foolishness.
[3] Wherefore, housefather, thus you should train yourself:—
"Though my body is sick,
my mind shall not be sick."
Thus, housefather, must you train yourself.'"
"But did not it occur to you, housefather,
to question the Exalted One further?
Thus:
'Pray, how far, Master,
is body sick and mind sick?
And how far is body sick and mind not sick?'"
"I would travel far indeed, Master,
to learn from the lips of the venerable Sāriputta
the meaning of this saying.
Well for me if the venerable Sāriputta
should think fit to expound to me
the meaning of this saying."
"Then listen, housefather;
apply your mind
and give heed to what I shall tell you."
"Even so, Master," said housefather Nakula-pitar,
and listened to the venerable Sāriputta.
The venerable Sāriputta thus spake:—
§
"And how is body sick, housefather,
and mind sick too?
Herein,[9] housefather, the untaught many-folk,
who discern not those who are Ariyans,[10]
who are unskilled in the Ariyan doctrine,
who are untrained in the Ariyan doctrine,
who discern not those who are worthy ones,
who are unskilled in the worthy doctrine,
untrained in the worthy doctrine
— these regard body as the self,[11]
they regard the self as having body,
body as being in the self,
the self as being in the body.
'I am the body,' say they,
'body is mine,'
and are possessed by this idea;
and so, possessed by this idea,
when body alters and changes,
owing to the unstable and changeful nature of body,
then sorrow and grief,
woe, lamentation, and despair arise in them.
■
They regard feeling as the self,
they regard the self as having feeling,
feeling as being the self,
the self as being in feeling.
'I am feeling;' they say,
'feeling is mine,'
and are possessed by this idea;
and so possessed by this idea,
when feeling alters and changes
owing to the unstable and changeful [4] nature of feeling,
then sorrow and grief,
woe, lamentation, and despair arise in them.
■
They regard perception as the self,
they regard the self as having perception,
perception as being in the self,
the self as being in perception.
'I am perception,' they say,
'perception is mine,'
and are possessed by this idea;
and so possessed by this idea,
when perception alters and changes
owing to the unstable and changeful nature of perception,
then sorrow and grief,
woe, lamentation, and despair arise in them.
■
They regard the activities as the self,
they regard the self as having activities,
activities as being in the self,
the self as being in the activities.
'I am the activities,' they say,
'the activities are mine,'
and are possessed by this idea;
and so possessed by this idea,
when perception alters and changes
owing to the unstable and changeful nature of perception,
then sorrow and grief,
woe, lamentation, and despair arise in them.
■
They regard consciousness as the self,
they regard the self as having consciousness,
consciousness as being in the self,
the self as being in consciousness.
'I am consciousness,' they say:
'consciousness is mine,'
and are possessed by this idea;
and so possessed by this idea,
when consciousness alters and changes
owing to the unstable and changeful nature of consciousness,
then sorrow and grief,
woe, lamentation, and despair arise in them.
That, housefather, is how body is sick
and mind is sick too.
§
And how is body sick,
but mind not sick?
[12] Herein, housefather, the well-taught Ariyan disciple,
who discerns those that are Ariyans,
who is skilled in the Ariyan doctrine,
well trained in the Ariyan doctrine,
skilled in the worthy doctrine,
well trained in the worthy doctrine,
regards not body as the self,
regards not the self as having body,
nor body as being in the self,
nor self as being in body.
He says not 'I am body,'
he says not 'body is mine,'
nor is possessed by this idea.
As he is not so possessed,
when body alters and changes
owing to the unstable [5] and changeful nature of body,
then sorrow and grief,
woe, lamentation, and despair
do not arise in him.
■
He regards not feeling as the self,
regards not the self as having feeling,
nor feeling as being in the self,
nor the self as being in feeling.
He says not 'I am feeling,
feeling is mine,'
nor is he possessed by this idea.
As he is not so possessed,
when feeling alters and changes
owing to the unstable and changeful nature of feeling,
then sorrow and grief,
woe, lamentation, and despair
arise not in him.
■
He regards not perception as the self,
regards not the self as having perception,
nor perception as being in the self,
nor the self as being in perception.
He says not 'I am perception,
perception is mine,'
nor is he possessed by this idea.
As he is not so possessed,
when perception alters and changes
owing to the unstable and changeful nature of perception,
sorrow and grief,
woe, lamentation, and despair
do not arise in him.
■
He regards not the activities as the self,
regards not the self as having activities,
nor the activities as being in the self,
nor the self as being in the activities.
He says not 'I am the activities,
the activities are mine,'
nor is he possessed by this idea.
As he is not so possessed,
when the activities alter and change
owing to the unstable and changeful nature of the activities,
sorrow and grief,
woe, lamentation and despair
do not arise in him.
■
He regards not consciousness as the self,
regards not the self as having consciousness,
nor consciousness as being in the self,
nor the self as being in consciousness.
He says not 'I am consciousness,
consciousness is mine,'
nor is he possessed by this idea.
As he is not so possessed,
when consciousness alters and changes
owing to the unstable and changeful nature of consciousness,
sorrow and grief,
woe, lamentation and despair
do not arise in him.
Thus, housefather, body is sick,
but mind is not sick."
Thus spake the venerable Sāriputta,
and the housefather Nakula-pitar was pleased
and welcomed what was said by the venerable Siiriputta.
[1] A town, so called, says Comy., because when it was a-building 'a crocodile made a noise.'
[2] Named after a yakkhinī. Cf. K.S. i, 262, n., on these beings; Pali Dict., s.v.
[3]addha-gato. Comy. 'Come to the third and last stage of life.'
[4] 'Owing to his sickness.' Comy.
[5] Aṇḍabhūto (egg-born), for text addhabhūto. Comy. explains 'as weak as if just hatched from the egg.'
[6] Pari(y)onaddho. Cf. M. i,25. Pap. 141, equivalent to sañchanna, 'enveloped with overgrowth' like a tree in a jungle, or as C., 'covered with a fine film.'
[7] Cf. K.S. i, 186.
[8]Amatena abhisitto.
[9] See Warren, Buddhism in Translations, p. 143. This view includes the annihilationist (uccheda) and eternalist (sassata) heresies. Comy.
[10] Bud. Psy. Ethics, § 1003, n. on Ariyānaṇ adassāvī.
[11] Attā, Vedic āitmān.
[12] See Warren, p. 422.
