Saṃyutta Nikāya
5. Mahā-Vagga
48. Indriya Saṃyutta
5. Jarā Vagga
The Book of the Kindred Sayings
5. The Great Chapter
48. Kindred Sayings on the Faculties
5. Old Age
Sutta 41
Jarā Suttaṃ
Old Age
Translated by F. L. Woodward
Edited by Mrs. Rhys Davids
Copyright The Pali Text Society
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On a certain occasion the Exalted One was staying near Sāvatthī
in East Park,
at the terraced house of Migara's mother.[1]
Now on that occasion the Exalted One,
having arisen from his solitude at eventide,
was seated warming his back
in the westering sunshine.[2]
Then the venerable Ānanda came to see the Exalted One,
and on coming to him
saluted him
and, while chafing his limbs[3] with his hand,
said to the Exalted One:
"It is a strange thing, lord!
It is a wonder, lord,
how the skin of the Exalted One
is no longer clear and translucent,
and how all his limbs are slack[4]
and [192] wrinkled,[5]
his body bent forward,
and a change is to be seen
in his sense-faculties of eye,
ear,
nose,
tongue
and body!"[6]
"So it is, Ānanda.
Old age is by nature inherent in youth,
sickness in health,
and death in life.
Thus it is
that my skin is no longer clear and translucent as of yore;
my limbs are slack and wrinkled,
my body stoops forward
and a change is to be noticed
in my sense-faculties of eye,
ear,
nose,
tongue
and body."
Thus spake the Exalted One.
Having so said, the Happy One as Teacher added this:
Shame on thee,[7] miserable age!
Age that maketh colour fade!
The pleasing image[8] of a man
By age is trampled down.
Tho' one should live a hundred years,
Natheless he is consigned to death.
Death passeth nothing by,
But trampleth everything.
[2] Comy. discusses the question as to how the sunshine can pierce through the Buddha-teja or aura, and concludes that it cannot do so. 'Then what is warmed? The radiance itself is warmed. Just as when one sits under a spreading tree, the sunshine does not touch the body, but the radiance of it spreads all round, and it is like being surrounded by a flame of fire. So we are to understand thus: The Master was sitting warming his aura (?).
[3] Comy. reads 'back.'
[4] Sithilāni. Comy. 'The flesh, coming away from the bone, attains ooseness and hangs here and there.'
[5] Text baliya-jātāni, but Sinh MSS. and Comy. vali-jātāni, which I follow.
[6] Comy. 'The sense-faculties are invisible, but as these defects are to be seen it must be owing to decay of the faculties. He speaks inferentially.'
[7] Dhī taṇ for dhītaṇ of text (Cf. Sn. v, 440, dhi-r-atthu jīvitaṇ). Comy. reads dhikkaṇ (text v.l. dhittaṇ) jammī jaro (which is interpreted as dhikkaṇ tuyhaṇ hotu, vikāyo taṇ phusatu [?]).
[8] Bimba (text, vimba) = attabhāva. Comy. Cf. Dhp. 147: Passa cittakataṇ bimbaṇ.
