Saṃyutta Nikāya
4. Saḷāyatana Vagga
35. Saḷāyatana Saṃyutta
§ III: Paññāsaka Tatiya
2. Loka-Kāma-Guṇa Vagga
The Book of the Kindred Sayings
4. The Book Called the Saḷāyatana-Vagga
Containing Kindred Sayings on the 'Six-Fold Sphere' of Sense and Other Subjects
35. Kindred Sayings the Sixfold Sphere of Sense
§ III: The 'Third Fifty' Suttas
2. The Chapter on the Worldly Sensual Elements
Sutta 118
Sakka-Pañha Suttaṃ
Sakha[1]
Translated by F. L. Woodward
Edited by Mrs. Rhys Davids
Copyright The Pali Text Society
Commercial Rights Reserved
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[1][bodh][than] Thus have I heard:
Once the Exalted One was staying near Rājagaha
on the hill Vulture's Peak.
Then Sakka, lord of the devas, [62] came to the Exalted One,
saluted him
and stood at one side.
So standing, Sakka, lord of the devas,
thus addressed the Exalted One:
"What is the condition, lord,
what is the cause
whereby in this world
some beings are fully set free[2]
in this very life?
What is the condition, lord,
what is the cause
whereby in this world
some beings are not fully set free
in this very life?"
§
"There are, lord of the devas,
objects cognizable by the eye,
objects desirable,
pleasant,
delightful
and dear,
passion-fraught,
inciting to lust.
If a brother be enamoured of them,
if he welcome them,
if he persist in clinging to them,
thus enamoured of them,
thus welcoming them,
thus persisting in clinging to them, -
dependent on that[3]
comes consciousness based on that grasping.
If he be full of grasping,[4] lord of the devas,
a brother is not wholly set free.
■
There are, lord of the devas,
sounds cognizable by the ear,
sounds desirable,
pleasant,
delightful
and dear,
passion-fraught,
inciting to lust.
If a brother be enamoured of them,
if he welcome them,
if he persist in clinging to them,
thus enamoured of them,
thus welcoming them,
thus persisting in clinging to them, -
dependent on that
comes consciousness based on that grasping.
If he be full of grasping, lord of the devas,
a brother is not wholly set free.
■
There are, lord of the devas,
scents cognizable by the nose,
scents desirable,
pleasant,
delightful
and dear,
passion-fraught,
inciting to lust.
If a brother be enamoured of them,
if he welcome them,
if he persist in clinging to them,
thus enamoured of them,
thus welcoming them,
thus persisting in clinging to them, -
dependent on that
comes consciousness based on that grasping.
If he be full of grasping, lord of the devas,
a brother is not wholly set free.
■
There are, lord of the devas,
savours cognizable by the tongue,
savours desirable,
pleasant,
delightful
and dear,
passion-fraught,
inciting to lust.
If a brother be enamoured of them,
if he welcome them,
if he persist in clinging to them,
thus enamoured of them,
thus welcoming them,
thus persisting in clinging to them, -
dependent on that
comes consciousness based on that grasping.
If he be full of grasping, lord of the devas,
a brother is not wholly set free.
■
There are, lord of the devas,
tangibles cognizable by the body,
tangibles desirable,
pleasant,
delightful
and dear,
passion-fraught,
inciting to lust.
If a brother be enamoured of them,
if he welcome them,
if he persist in clinging to them,
thus enamoured of them,
thus welcoming them,
thus persisting in clinging to them, -
dependent on that
comes consciousness based on that grasping.
If he be full of grasping, lord of the devas,
a brother is not wholly set free.
■
There are, lord of the devas,
mind-states cognizable by the mind,
mind-states desirable,
pleasant,
delightful
and dear,
passion-fraught,
inciting to lust.
If a brother be enamoured of them,
if he welcome them,
if he persist in clinging to them,
thus enamoured of them,
thus welcoming them,
thus persisting in clinging to them, -
dependent on that
comes consciousness based on that grasping.
If he be full of grasping, lord of the devas,
a brother is not wholly set free.
This is the condition,
this is the cause
why in the world
some beings are not
in this very life
wholly set free.
§
Again, lord of the devas, there are
objects cognizable by the eye,
objects desirable,
pleasant,
delightful
and dear,
passion-fraught,
inciting to lust.
If a brother be not enamoured of them,
if he does not welcome them,
if he does not persist in clinging to them,
thus not enamoured of them,
thus not welcoming them,
thus not persisting in clinging to them, -
dependent on that
comes no consciousness there being no basis in grasping.[ed1]
If he be without grasping, lord of the devas,
a brother is wholly set free.
■
There are, lord of the devas,
sounds cognizable by the ear,
sounds desirable,
pleasant,
delightful
and dear,
passion-fraught,
inciting to lust.
If a brother be not enamoured of them,
if he does not welcome them,
if he does not persist in clinging to them,
thus not enamoured of them,
thus not welcoming them,
thus not persisting in clinging to them, -
dependent on that
comes no consciousness there being no basis in grasping.
If he be without grasping, lord of the devas,
a brother is wholly set free.
■
There are, lord of the devas,
scents cognizable by the nose,
scents desirable,
pleasant,
delightful
and dear,
passion-fraught,
inciting to lust.
If a brother be not enamoured of them,
if he does not welcome them,
if he does not persist in clinging to them,
thus not enamoured of them,
thus not welcoming them,
thus not persisting in clinging to them, -
dependent on that
comes no consciousness there being no basis in grasping.
If he be without grasping, lord of the devas,
a brother is wholly set free.
■
"There are, lord of the devas,
savours cognizable by the tongue,
savours desirable,
pleasant,
delightful
and dear,
passion-fraught,
inciting to lust.
If a brother be not enamoured of them,
if he does not welcome them,
if he does not persist in clinging to them,
thus not enamoured of them,
thus not welcoming them,
thus not persisting in clinging to them, -
dependent on that
comes no consciousness there being no basis in grasping.
If he be without grasping, lord of the devas,
a brother is wholly set free.
■
There are, lord of the devas,
tangibles cognizable by the body,
tangibles desirable,
pleasant,
delightful
and dear,
passion-fraught,
inciting to lust.
If a brother be not enamoured of them,
if he does not welcome them,
if he does not persist in clinging to them,
thus not enamoured of them,
thus not welcoming them,
thus not persisting in clinging to them, -
dependent on that
comes no consciousness there being no basis in grasping.
If he be without grasping, lord of the devas,
a brother is wholly set free.
■
There are, lord of the devas,
mind-states cognizable by the mind,
mind-states desirable,
pleasant,
delightful
and dear,
passion-fraught,
inciting to lust.
If a brother be not enamoured of them,
if he does not welcome them,
if he does not persist in clinging to them,
thus not enamoured of them,
thus not welcoming them,
thus not persisting in clinging to them, -
dependent on that
comes no consciousness there being no basis in grasping.
If he be without grasping, lord of the devas,
a brother is wholly set free.
This is the condition,
this is the cause
why in the world
some beings are
in this very life
wholly set free."
[1] Cf. Dialog, ii, 294 ff.
[2] Parinibbāyanti.
[3] Tannissilaṇ viññāṇaṇ. Comy. 'taṇhā-nissitaṇ kamma-viññāṇaṇ.'
[4] Sa-upādāna. Cf. infra. § 124. At p. 399 of text it is applied to fuel.
[ed1] Woodward has abridged where it is not clear how he might have managed this last phrase. I have turned his positive phrase into the negative as closely as I felt could fit the meaning.
