Alagaddūpamasutta

Majjhima Nikāya 22

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

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Aṭṭhikaṅkalūpamā kāmā vuttā mayā …pe…
sappasirūpamā kāmā vuttā mayā, bahudukkhā bahupāyāsā, ādīnavo ettha bhiyyo.
Atha ca panāyaṁ ariṭṭho bhikkhu gaddhabādhipubbo attanā duggahitena amhe ceva abbhācikkhati, attānañca khanati, bahuñca apuññaṁ pasavati.
Tañhi tassa moghapurisassa bhavissati dīgharattaṁ ahitāya 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.

So vata, bhikkhave, aññatreva kāmehi aññatra kāmasaññāya aññatra kāmavitakkehi kāme paṭisevissatīti—netaṁ ṭhānaṁ vijjati.

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

Idha, bhikkhave, ekacce moghapurisā dhammaṁ pariyāpuṇanti—
suttaṁ, geyyaṁ, veyyākaraṇaṁ, gāthaṁ, udānaṁ, itivuttakaṁ, jātakaṁ, abbhutadhammaṁ, vedallaṁ.
Te taṁ dhammaṁ pariyāpuṇitvā tesaṁ dhammānaṁ paññāya atthaṁ na upaparikkhanti.
Tesaṁ te dhammā paññāya atthaṁ anupaparikkhataṁ na nijjhānaṁ khamanti.
Te upārambhānisaṁsā ceva dhammaṁ pariyāpuṇanti itivādappamokkhānisaṁsā ca.
Yassa catthāya dhammaṁ pariyāpuṇanti tañcassa atthaṁ nānubhonti.
Tesaṁ te dhammā duggahitā dīgharattaṁ ahitāya dukkhāya saṁvattanti.
Taṁ kissa hetu?
Duggahitattā, bhikkhave, dhammānaṁ.
Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, puriso alagaddatthiko alagaddagavesī alagaddapariyesanaṁ caramāno.
So passeyya mahantaṁ alagaddaṁ.
Tamenaṁ bhoge vā naṅguṭṭhe vā gaṇheyya.
Tassa so alagaddo paṭiparivattitvā hatthe vā bāhāya vā aññatarasmiṁ vā aṅgapaccaṅge ḍaṁseyya.
So tatonidānaṁ maraṇaṁ vā nigaccheyya maraṇamattaṁ vā dukkhaṁ.

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.

Taṁ kissa hetu?
Duggahitattā, bhikkhave, alagaddassa.
Evameva kho, bhikkhave, idhekacce moghapurisā dhammaṁ pariyāpuṇanti—
suttaṁ, geyyaṁ, veyyākaraṇaṁ, gāthaṁ, udānaṁ, itivuttakaṁ, jātakaṁ, abbhutadhammaṁ, vedallaṁ.
Te taṁ dhammaṁ pariyāpuṇitvā tesaṁ dhammānaṁ paññāya atthaṁ na upaparikkhanti.
Tesaṁ te dhammā paññāya atthaṁ anupaparikkhataṁ na nijjhānaṁ khamanti.
Te upārambhānisaṁsā ceva dhammaṁ pariyāpuṇanti itivādappamokkhānisaṁsā ca.
Yassa catthāya dhammaṁ pariyāpuṇanti tañcassa atthaṁ nānubhonti.
Tesaṁ te dhammā duggahitā dīgharattaṁ ahitāya dukkhāya saṁvattanti.
Taṁ kissa hetu?
Duggahitattā, bhikkhave, dhammānaṁ.

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.

Idha pana, bhikkhave, ekacce kulaputtā dhammaṁ pariyāpuṇanti—
suttaṁ, geyyaṁ, veyyākaraṇaṁ, gāthaṁ, udānaṁ, itivuttakaṁ, jātakaṁ, abbhutadhammaṁ, vedallaṁ.
Te taṁ dhammaṁ pariyāpuṇitvā tesaṁ dhammānaṁ paññāya atthaṁ upaparikkhanti.
Tesaṁ te dhammā paññāya atthaṁ upaparikkhataṁ nijjhānaṁ khamanti.
Te na ceva upārambhānisaṁsā dhammaṁ pariyāpuṇanti na itivādappamokkhānisaṁsā ca.
Yassa catthāya dhammaṁ pariyāpuṇanti tañcassa atthaṁ anubhonti.
Tesaṁ te dhammā suggahitā dīgharattaṁ hitāya sukhāya saṁvattanti.
Taṁ kissa hetu?
Suggahitattā bhikkhave dhammānaṁ.
Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, puriso alagaddatthiko alagaddagavesī alagaddapariyesanaṁ caramāno.
So passeyya mahantaṁ alagaddaṁ.
Tamenaṁ ajapadena daṇḍena suniggahitaṁ niggaṇheyya.
Ajapadena daṇḍena suniggahitaṁ niggahitvā, gīvāya suggahitaṁ gaṇheyya.

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.

Kiñcāpi so, bhikkhave, alagaddo tassa purisassa hatthaṁ vā bāhaṁ vā aññataraṁ vā aṅgapaccaṅgaṁ bhogehi paliveṭheyya, atha kho so neva tatonidānaṁ maraṇaṁ vā nigaccheyya maraṇamattaṁ vā dukkhaṁ.
Taṁ kissa hetu?
Suggahitattā, bhikkhave, alagaddassa.
Evameva kho, bhikkhave, idhekacce kulaputtā dhammaṁ pariyāpuṇanti—
suttaṁ, geyyaṁ, veyyākaraṇaṁ, gāthaṁ, udānaṁ, itivuttakaṁ, jātakaṁ, abbhutadhammaṁ, vedallaṁ.
Te taṁ dhammaṁ pariyāpuṇitvā tesaṁ dhammānaṁ paññāya atthaṁ upaparikkhanti.
Tesaṁ te dhammā paññāya atthaṁ upaparikkhataṁ nijjhānaṁ khamanti.
Te na ceva upārambhānisaṁsā dhammaṁ pariyāpuṇanti, na itivādappamokkhānisaṁsā ca.
Yassa catthāya dhammaṁ pariyāpuṇanti, tañcassa atthaṁ anubhonti.
Tesaṁ te dhammā suggahitā dīgharattaṁ atthāya hitāya sukhāya saṁvattanti.
Taṁ kissa hetu?
Suggahitattā, bhikkhave, dhammānaṁ.

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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