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Majjhima Nikāya 27

Cūḷahatthipadopamasutta

The Shorter Elephant’s Footprint Simile · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral

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thusEvaṁ by meme heardsutaṁ—
oneekaṁ timesamayaṁ the Buddhabhagavā at Sāvatthīsāvatthiyaṁ was stayingviharati in Jeta's Grovejetavane of Anāthapiṇḍikaanāthapiṇḍikassa monasteryārāme.

at thatTena indeedkho thenpana at the timesamayena Jānussoṇijāṇussoṇi the brahminbrāhmaṇo in an all-whitesabbasetena chariot drawn by maresvaḷavābhirathena from Sāvatthīsāvatthiyā drove outniyyāti in the middle of the daydivādivassa.
he sawAddasā indeedkho Jānussoṇijāṇussoṇi the brahminbrāhmaṇo Pilotikapilotikaṁ the wandererparibbājakaṁ from afardūratova comingāgacchantaṁ.
having seenDisvāna Pilotikapilotikaṁ the wandererparibbājakaṁ he said this to himetadavoca:
so“Handa where fromkuto nownu worthybhavaṁ Vacchāyanavacchāyano are you comingāgacchati in the middle of the daydivādivassā”ti?
from here“Ito for surehi indeedkho Iahaṁ, worthy sirbho, I comeāgacchāmi of the asceticsamaṇassa Gotamagotamassa from the presencesantikā”ti.
what“Taṁ do you thinkkiṁ judgesmaññati worthybhavaṁ Vacchāyanavacchāyano of the asceticsamaṇassa Gotamagotamassa lucidity of wisdompaññāveyyattiyaṁ astutepaṇḍito I thinkmaññe”ti.
who“Ko and Icāhaṁ, worthy sirbho, whoko andca of the asceticsamaṇassa Gotamagotamassa lucidity of wisdompaññāveyyattiyaṁ will I judgejānissāmi.
he tooSopi indeed would benūnassa of just such a kindtādisova whoyo of the asceticsamaṇassa Gotamagotamassa lucidity of wisdompaññāveyyattiyaṁ would judgejāneyyā”ti.
with high“Uḷārāya indeedkhalu worthybhavaṁ Vacchāyanavacchāyano the asceticsamaṇaṁ Gotamagotamaṁ with praisepasaṁsāya praisespasaṁsatī”ti.
who“Ko and Icāhaṁ, worthy sirbho, whoko andca the asceticsamaṇaṁ Gotamagotamaṁ will I praisepasaṁsissāmi,
praised by the praisedpasatthapasatthova heso worthybhavaṁ Gotamagotamo firstseṭṭho among gods and humansdevamanussānan”ti.
what“Kaṁ thenpana worthybhavaṁ Vacchāyanavacchāyano reasonatthavasaṁ consideringsampassamāno in the asceticsamaṇe Gotamagotame thusevaṁ devotedabhippasanno”ti?

just as“Seyyathāpi, sirbho, skilledkusalo elephant trackernāgavaniko elephant woodnāgavanaṁ would enterpaviseyya.
heSo would seepasseyya in the elephant woodnāgavane largemahantaṁ elephant's footprinthatthipadaṁ, in lengthdīghato andca broadāyataṁ, and acrosstiriyañca spreadvitthataṁ.
heSo conclusionniṭṭhaṁ would come togaccheyya:
big‘mahā indeedvata sirbho bull elephantnāgo’ti.
in the same wayEvameva indeedkho Iahaṁ, sirbho, becauseyato I sawaddasaṁ of the asceticsamaṇe Gotamagotame fourcattāri footprintspadāni then Iathāhaṁ came to the conclusionniṭṭhamagamaṁ:
fully awakened‘sammāsambuddho the Blessed Onebhagavā, well explainedsvākkhāto by the Blessed Onebhagavatā the teachingdhammo, practicing wellsuppaṭipanno of the Blessed Onebhagavato the Saṅgha of disciplessāvakasaṅgho’ti.

whichKatamāni four?cattāri?
here IIdhāhaṁ, worthy sirbho, I seepassāmi someekacce astute aristocratskhattiyapaṇḍite subtlenipuṇe accomplished in the doctrines of otherskataparappavāde hair-splittersvālavedhirūpe, theyte demolishingbhindantā you'd thinkmaññe they livecaranti with their intellectpaññāgatena convictionsdiṭṭhigatāni.
TheyTe hearsuṇanti:
ascetic‘samaṇo sokhalu, worthy sirbho, Gotamagotamo such-and-suchamukaṁ namednāma villagegāmaṁ orvā townnigamaṁ orvā will come downosarissatī’ti.
TheyTe a questionpañhaṁ they formulateabhisaṅkharonti:
this‘imaṁ wemayaṁ questionpañhaṁ asceticsamaṇaṁ Gotamagotamaṁ having approachedupasaṅkamitvā we will askpucchissāma.
if like thisEvañce by usno askedpuṭṭho thusevaṁ he will answerbyākarissati, thus for himevamassa wemayaṁ refutationvādaṁ we will refuteāropessāma.
and if like thisEvañcepi by usno askedpuṭṭho thusevaṁ he will answerbyākarissati, thus also for himevampissa wemayaṁ refutationvādaṁ we will refuteāropessāmā’ti.
TheyTe hearsuṇanti:
ascetic‘samaṇo sokhalu, worthy sirbho, Gotamagotamo such-and-suchamukaṁ namednāma villagegāmaṁ orvā townnigamaṁ orvā has come downosaṭo’ti.
TheyTe whereyena asceticsamaṇo Gotamagotamo they approach him theretenupasaṅkamanti.
themTe asceticsamaṇo Gotamagotamo with a Dhammadhammiyā talkkathāya educatessandasseti encouragessamādapeti fires upsamuttejeti inspiressampahaṁseti.

theyTe by the asceticsamaṇena Gotamagotamena with a Dhammadhammiyā talkkathāya instructedsandassitā rousedsamādapitā encouragedsamuttejitā gladdenedsampahaṁsitā notna indeedceva the asceticsamaṇaṁ Gotamagotamaṁ a questionpañhaṁ they askpucchanti, where thenkutossa a statementvādaṁ will they attribute?āropessanti?
invariablyAññadatthu just of the asceticsamaṇasseva Gotamagotamassa disciplessāvakā they becomesampajjanti.
when IYadāhaṁ, sirbho, in the asceticsamaṇe Gotamagotame thisimaṁ firstpaṭhamaṁ footprintpadaṁ I sawaddasaṁ then Iathāhaṁ I came to the conclusionniṭṭhamagamaṁ:
a fully awakened Buddha‘sammāsambuddho the Blessed Onebhagavā, well explainedsvākkhāto by the Blessed Onebhagavatā the teachingdhammo, practicing wellsuppaṭipanno of the Blessed Onebhagavato the Saṅgha of disciplessāvakasaṅgho’ti.

furthermorePuna and moreover Icaparāhaṁ, sirbho, I seepassāmi here someidhekacce astute brahminsbrāhmaṇapaṇḍite …pe……pe…

astute householdersgahapatipaṇḍite ……
…pe…

astute asceticssamaṇapaṇḍite subtlenipuṇe accomplished in others' doctrineskataparappavāde hair-splittersvālavedhirūpe theyte shatteringbhindantā I thinkmaññe walk aboutcaranti with wisdom-gonepaññāgatena views.diṭṭhigatāni.
theyTe hear:suṇanti:
'the ascetic‘samaṇo indeedkhalu sirbho Gotamagotamo such-and-suchamukaṁ namednāma villagegāmaṁ orvā townnigamaṁ orvā will enter.'osarissatī’ti.
theyTe questionpañhaṁ prepareabhisaṅkharonti 'this‘imaṁ wemayaṁ questionpañhaṁ asceticsamaṇaṁ Gotamagotamaṁ having approachedupasaṅkamitvā we will ask.pucchissāma.
If thusEvañce by usno askedpuṭṭho thusevaṁ he will answer,byākarissati, thus to himevamassa wemayaṁ speechvādaṁ we will refute.āropessāma.
But if thusEvañcepi by usno askedpuṭṭho thusevaṁ he will answer,byākarissati, thus to himevampissa wemayaṁ speechvādaṁ we will refute.'āropessāmā’ti.
theyTe hearsuṇanti 'the ascetic‘samaṇo indeedkhalu sirbho Gotamagotamo such-and-suchamukaṁ namednāma villagegāmaṁ orvā townnigamaṁ orvā has entered.'osaṭo’ti.
theyTe whereyena asceticsamaṇo Gotamagotamo there they approach.tenupasaṅkamanti.
theyTe asceticsamaṇo Gotamagotamo with Dhammadhammiyā talkkathāya instructssandasseti urgessamādapeti rousessamuttejeti gladdens.sampahaṁseti.
theyTe by the asceticsamaṇena Gotamagotamena with Dhammadhammiyā talkkathāya instructedsandassitā urgedsamādapitā rousedsamuttejitā gladdenedsampahaṁsitā notna evenceva the asceticsamaṇaṁ Gotamagotamaṁ questionpañhaṁ they ask,pucchanti, how indeedkutossa speechvādaṁ will they refute?āropessanti?

invariablyAññadatthu the ascetic indeedsamaṇaṁyeva Gotamagotamaṁ the chanceokāsaṁ they askyācanti from the homeagārasmā to homelessnessanagāriyaṁ for going forthpabbajjāya.
heTe the asceticsamaṇo Gotamagotamo causes to go forthpabbājeti.
theyTe theretattha gone forthpabbajitā beingsamānā withdrawnvūpakaṭṭhā diligentappamattā keenātāpino resolutepahitattā livingviharantā soon—for whose sakenacirasseva—yassatthāya clansmenkulaputtā rightlysammadeva from homeagārasmā to homelessnessanagāriyaṁ they go forthpabbajanti, the supreme culmination of the spiritual pathtadanuttaraṁ—brahmacariyapariyosānaṁ in this very lifediṭṭheva in the Dhammadhamme themselvessayaṁ with direct knowledgeabhiññā having realizedsacchikatvā having attainedupasampajja they liveviharanti.
theyTe they said thusevamāhaṁsu:
almost‘manaṁ indeedvata, sirsbho, we were lostanassāma, almostmanaṁ indeedvata, sirsbho, we perishedpanassāma;
we indeedmayañhi previouslypubbe being non-asceticsassamaṇāva beingsamānā as asceticssamaṇamhāti we used to claimpaṭijānimha, being non-brahminsabrāhmaṇāva beingsamānā as brahminsbrāhmaṇamhāti we used to claimpaṭijānimha, being non-perfected onesanarahantova beingsamānā as arahantsarahantamhāti we used to claimpaṭijānimha.
nowIdāni we arekhomha asceticssamaṇā, nowidāni we arekhomha brahminsbrāhmaṇā, nowidāni we arekhomha arahantsarahanto’ti.
when IYadāhaṁ, sirsbho, in the asceticsamaṇe Gotamagotame thisimaṁ fourthcatutthaṁ footprintpadaṁ I sawaddasaṁ then Iathāhaṁ I came to conclusionniṭṭhamagamaṁ:
fully awakened Buddha‘sammāsambuddho the Blessed Onebhagavā, well explainedsvākkhāto by the Blessed Onebhagavatā the Dhammadhammo, practicing wellsuppaṭipanno of the Blessed Onebhagavato the Saṅgha of disciplessāvakasaṅgho’ti.
sinceYato indeedkho Iahaṁ, sirsbho, in the asceticsamaṇe Gotamagotame theseimāni fourcattāri footprintspadāni I sawaddasaṁ then Iathāhaṁ I came to conclusionniṭṭhamagamaṁ:

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