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Majjhima Nikāya 22

Alagaddūpamasutta

The Simile of the Snake · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral

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skeleton·likeAṭṭhikaṅkalūpamā sensual pleasureskāmā saidvuttā by memayā …pe……pe…
like a snakesappasirūpamā sensual pleasureskāmā saidvuttā by me,mayā, much·sufferingbahudukkhā much·distressbahupāyāsā, drawbackādīnavo hereettha more.bhiyyo.
butAtha andca but·thispanāyaṁ Ariṭṭhaariṭṭho monkbhikkhu vulture·killer·formerlygaddhabādhipubbo by himselfattanā wrong·graspduggahitena meamhe and·indeedceva misrepresents,abbhācikkhati, self·andattānañca harms,khanati, much·andbahuñca not·meritapuññaṁ forth·flowpasavati.
this·indeedTañhi for himtassa foolish·manmoghapurisassa will bebhavissati long·timedīgharattaṁ not·benefitahitāya for suffering.dukkhāya.

I’ve said that sensual pleasures give little gratification and much suffering and distress, and they are all the more full of drawbacks. But still this Ariṭṭha misrepresents me by his wrong grasp, harms himself, and brims with much wickedness. This will be for his lasting harm and suffering.

trulySo indeedvata, mendicantsbhikkhave, quite apart fromaññatreva sensual desireskāmehi withoutaññatra sensual perceptionskāmasaññāya withoutaññatra sensual thoughtskāmavitakkehi sensual actskāme will perform — thispaṭisevissatīti—netaṁ possibilityṭhānaṁ is impossiblevijjati.

Truly, mendicants, it is quite impossible to perform sensual acts without sensual desires, sensual perceptions, and sensual thoughts.

hereIdha, monksbhikkhave, someekacce futile·personmoghapurisā the teachingdhammaṁ memorizepariyāpuṇanti—
statementssuttaṁ, mixed prose and versegeyyaṁ, discussionsveyyākaraṇaṁ, versesgāthaṁ, inspired exclamationsudānaṁ, thus·saiditivuttakaṁ, stories of past livesjātakaṁ, wonderful·dhammaabbhutadhammaṁ, elaborationsvedallaṁ.
theyTe thattaṁ teachingdhammaṁ around·gopariyāpuṇitvā of thosetesaṁ of teachingsdhammānaṁ with wisdompaññāya the meaningatthaṁ notna examineupaparikkhanti.
of thoseTesaṁ thosete teachingsdhammā with wisdompaññāya the meaningatthaṁ not examininganupaparikkhataṁ notna acceptance after deliberationnijjhānaṁ they come tokhamanti.
theyTe fault-finding·advantageupārambhānisaṁsā and indeedceva the teachingdhammaṁ around·gopariyāpuṇanti thus·speech·release·advantageitivādappamokkhānisaṁsā andca.
for whoseYassa for the sake of whichcatthāya the teachingdhammaṁ around·gopariyāpuṇanti that + and + andtañcassa the goalatthaṁ do not realizenānubhonti.
of thoseTesaṁ thosete teachingsdhammā bad·graspedduggahitā long·nightdīgharattaṁ to harmahitāya to sufferingdukkhāya leadsaṁvattanti.
thatTaṁ of whatkissa causehetu?
because of wrong graspDuggahitattā, monksbhikkhave, of teachingsdhammānaṁ.
just asSeyyathāpi, monksbhikkhave, a personpuriso cobra·needingalagaddatthiko cobra·seekingalagaddagavesī cobra·searchalagaddapariyesanaṁ wanderingcaramāno.
heSo would seepasseyya bigmahantaṁ cobraalagaddaṁ.
it thenTamenaṁ by the coilbhoge orvā by the tailnaṅguṭṭhe orvā would graspgaṇheyya.
itsTassa thatso cobraalagaddo back·around·turnedpaṭiparivattitvā on the handhatthe orvā on the armbāhāya orvā on someaññatarasmiṁ orvā limb·minor limbaṅgapaccaṅge would biteḍaṁseyya.
heSo from that·causetatonidānaṁ deathmaraṇaṁ orvā down·gonigaccheyya death·likemaraṇamattaṁ orvā paindukkhaṁ.

Take a futile person who memorizes the teaching— statements, mixed prose & verse, discussions, verses, inspired exclamations, legends, stories of past lives, amazing stories, and elaborations. But they don’t examine the meaning of those teachings with wisdom, and so don’t come to an acceptance of them after deliberation. They memorize the teaching for the sake of finding fault and winning debates. They don’t realize the goal for which they memorized them. Because they’re wrongly grasped, those teachings lead to their lasting harm and suffering. Why is that? Because of their wrong grasp of the teachings. Suppose there was a person in need of a cobra. And while wandering in search of a cobra they’d see a big cobra, and grasp it by the coil or the tail. But that cobra would twist back and bite them on the hand or the arm or other major or minor limb, resulting in death or deadly pain.

thatTaṁ of whatkissa reason?hetu?
because of wrong graspingDuggahitattā, monksbhikkhave, of a cobraalagaddassa.
thus·justEvameva indeedkho, monksbhikkhave, some hereidhekacce futile·personsmoghapurisā the teachingdhammaṁ memorizepariyāpuṇanti—
discoursessuttaṁ, mixed prosegeyyaṁ, expositionsveyyākaraṇaṁ, versesgāthaṁ, inspired utterancesudānaṁ, sayingsitivuttakaṁ, birth storiesjātakaṁ, marvelsabbhutadhammaṁ, analysesvedallaṁ.
theyTe thattaṁ teachingdhammaṁ having memorizedpariyāpuṇitvā of thosetesaṁ of teachingsdhammānaṁ with wisdompaññāya the meaningatthaṁ notna investigateupaparikkhanti.
of thoseTesaṁ thosete teachingsdhammā with wisdompaññāya the meaningatthaṁ not·investigateanupaparikkhataṁ notna inclinationnijjhānaṁ they are suitablekhamanti.
theyTe for the sake of criticismupārambhānisaṁsā and justceva the teachingdhammaṁ memorizepariyāpuṇanti debate·refuting·for the sake ofitivādappamokkhānisaṁsā andca.
for whomYassa for the sake of whichcatthāya teachingdhammaṁ they memorizepariyāpuṇanti that·and·for himtañcassa meaningatthaṁ they do not understandnānubhonti.
of thoseTesaṁ thosete teachingsdhammā wrongly graspedduggahitā for a long timedīgharattaṁ to harmahitāya to sufferingdukkhāya leadsaṁvattanti.
thatTaṁ of whatkissa reason?hetu?
because of wrong graspingDuggahitattā, monksbhikkhave, of teachingsdhammānaṁ.

Why is that? Because of their wrong grasp of the cobra. In the same way, a futile person memorizes the teaching … and those teachings lead to their lasting harm and suffering. Why is that? Because of their wrong grasp of the teachings.

hereIdha nowpana, monksbhikkhave, someekacce gentlemenkulaputtā the teachingdhammaṁ memorizepariyāpuṇanti—
statementssuttaṁ, mixed prose and versegeyyaṁ, discussionsveyyākaraṇaṁ, versesgāthaṁ, inspired exclamationsudānaṁ, legendsitivuttakaṁ, stories of past livesjātakaṁ, amazing storiesabbhutadhammaṁ, elaborationsvedallaṁ.
theyTe thattaṁ the teachingdhammaṁ around·gopariyāpuṇitvā of thosetesaṁ of the teachingsdhammānaṁ with wisdompaññāya the meaningatthaṁ examineupaparikkhanti.
of thoseTesaṁ thosete teachingsdhammā with wisdompaññāya the meaningatthaṁ near·aroundupaparikkhataṁ acceptancenijjhānaṁ they acceptkhamanti.
theyTe notna indeedceva for the sake of finding faultupārambhānisaṁsā the teachingdhammaṁ around·gopariyāpuṇanti notna for the sake of winning debatesitivādappamokkhānisaṁsā andca.
for whomYassa for the purposecatthāya the teachingdhammaṁ around·gopariyāpuṇanti and that purpose for himtañcassa the goalatthaṁ they realizeanubhonti.
of thoseTesaṁ thosete teachingsdhammā correctly graspedsuggahitā for a long timedīgharattaṁ for welfarehitāya for happinesssukhāya lead tosaṁvattanti.
thatTaṁ whykissa is the reasonhetu?
because of correct graspingSuggahitattā monksbhikkhave of the teachingsdhammānaṁ.
just asSeyyathāpi, monksbhikkhave, a personpuriso in need of a cobraalagaddatthiko seeking a cobraalagaddagavesī searching for a cobraalagaddapariyesanaṁ wanderingcaramāno.
heSo would seepasseyya a bigmahantaṁ cobraalagaddaṁ.
that himTamenaṁ with a cleft stickajapadena with a stickdaṇḍena carefullysuniggahitaṁ he would hold downniggaṇheyya.
with a cleft stickAjapadena with a stickdaṇḍena carefullysuniggahitaṁ having held downniggahitvā, by the neckgīvāya correctly graspedsuggahitaṁ he would graspgaṇheyya.

Now, take a gentleman who memorizes the teaching— statements, mixed prose & verse, discussions, verses, inspired exclamations, legends, stories of past lives, amazing stories, and elaborations. And once he’s memorized them, he examines their meaning with wisdom, and comes to an acceptance of them after deliberation. He doesn’t memorize the teaching for the sake of finding fault and winning debates. He realizes the goal for which he memorized them. Because they’re correctly grasped, those teachings lead to his lasting welfare and happiness. Why is that? Because of his correct grasp of the teachings. Suppose there was a person in need of a cobra. And while wandering in search of a cobra they’d see a big cobra, and hold it down carefully with a cleft stick. Only then would they correctly grasp it by the neck.

even thoughKiñcāpi thatso, monksbhikkhave, cobraalagaddo of thattassa person'spurisassa handhatthaṁ orvā armbāhaṁ orvā some otheraññataraṁ orvā major or minor limbaṅgapaccaṅgaṁ with its coilsbhogehi might wrap aroundpaliveṭheyya, thenatha indeedkho thatso not indeedneva because of thattatonidānaṁ deathmaraṇaṁ orvā would undergonigaccheyya deadlymaraṇamattaṁ orvā paindukkhaṁ.
thatTaṁ of whatkissa reason?hetu?
because of correct graspSuggahitattā, monksbhikkhave, of the cobraalagaddassa.
just soEvameva indeedkho, monksbhikkhave, here someidhekacce gentlemenkulaputtā the teachingdhammaṁ memorizepariyāpuṇanti—
discoursessuttaṁ, mixed prose and versegeyyaṁ, expositionsveyyākaraṇaṁ, versesgāthaṁ, inspired utterancesudānaṁ, sayingsitivuttakaṁ, birth storiesjātakaṁ, marvelous teachingsabbhutadhammaṁ, analysesvedallaṁ.
theyTe thattaṁ teachingdhammaṁ having memorizedpariyāpuṇitvā of thosetesaṁ teachingsdhammānaṁ with wisdompaññāya the meaningatthaṁ they investigateupaparikkhanti.
of thoseTesaṁ thosete teachingsdhammā with wisdompaññāya the meaningatthaṁ while investigatingupaparikkhataṁ reflectionnijjhānaṁ they approvekhamanti.
theyTe notna indeedceva for the sake of criticismupārambhānisaṁsā the teachingdhammaṁ memorizepariyāpuṇanti, notna for the sake of refuting debateitivādappamokkhānisaṁsā andca.
for whichYassa for the purposecatthāya the teachingdhammaṁ memorizepariyāpuṇanti, and for him thattañcassa purposeatthaṁ they understandanubhonti.
of thoseTesaṁ thosete teachingsdhammā correctly graspedsuggahitā for a long timedīgharattaṁ to welfareatthāya to benefithitāya to happinesssukhāya leadsaṁvattanti.
thatTaṁ of whatkissa reason?hetu?
because of correct graspSuggahitattā, monksbhikkhave, of the teachingsdhammānaṁ.

And even though that cobra might wrap its coils around that person’s hand or arm or some other major or minor limb, that wouldn’t result in death or deadly pain. Why is that? Because of their correct grasp of the cobra. In the same way, a gentleman memorizes the teaching … and those teachings lead to his lasting welfare and happiness. Why is that? Because of his correct grasp of the teachings.

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