Bodhirājakumārasutta

Majjhima Nikāya 85

With Prince Bodhi · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral

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Atha kho, rājakumāra, brahmuno sahampatissa mama cetasā cetoparivitakkamaññāya etadahosi:
‘nassati vata bho loko; vinassati vata bho loko. Yatra hi nāma tathāgatassa arahato sammāsambuddhassa appossukkatāya cittaṁ namati no dhammadesanāyā’ti.
Atha kho, rājakumāra, brahmā sahampati—seyyathāpi nāma balavā puriso samiñjitaṁ vā bāhaṁ pasāreyya pasāritaṁ vā bāhaṁ samiñjeyya; evameva—brahmaloke antarahito mama purato pāturahosi.
Atha kho, rājakumāra, brahmā sahampati ekaṁsaṁ uttarāsaṅgaṁ karitvā yenāhaṁ tenañjaliṁ paṇāmetvā maṁ etadavoca:
‘desetu, bhante, bhagavā dhammaṁ, desetu sugato dhammaṁ.
Santi sattā apparajakkhajātikā assavanatāya dhammassa parihāyanti;
bhavissanti dhammassa aññātāro’ti.
Idamavoca, rājakumāra, brahmā sahampati;
idaṁ vatvā athāparaṁ etadavoca:
‘Pāturahosi magadhesu pubbe,
Dhammo asuddho samalehi cintito;
Apāpuretaṁ amatassa dvāraṁ,
Suṇantu dhammaṁ vimalenānubuddhaṁ.

Then the divinity Sahampati, knowing my train of thought, thought, ‘Oh lord! The world will be lost, the world will perish! For the mind of the Realized One, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha, inclines to remaining passive, not to teaching the Dhamma.’ Then, as easily as a strong person would extend or contract their arm, the divinity Sahampati vanished from the realm of divinity and reappeared in front of me. He arranged his robe over one shoulder, raised his cupped palms toward me, and said, ‘Sir, let the Blessed One teach the Dhamma! Let the Holy One teach the Dhamma! There are beings with little dust in their eyes. They’re in decline because they haven’t heard the teaching. There will be those who understand the teaching!’ That is what the divinity Sahampati said. Then he went on to say: ‘Among the Magadhans there appeared in the past an impure teaching thought up by the stained. Fling open the door to freedom from death! Let them hear the teaching the immaculate one discovered.

Sele yathā pabbatamuddhaniṭṭhito,
Yathāpi passe janataṁ samantato;
Tathūpamaṁ dhammamayaṁ sumedha,
Pāsādamāruyha samantacakkhu.
Sokāvatiṇṇaṁ janatamapetasoko,
Avekkhassu jātijarābhibhūtaṁ;
Uṭṭhehi vīra vijitasaṅgāma,
Satthavāha aṇaṇa vicara loke;
Desassu bhagavā dhammaṁ,
Aññātāro bhavissantī’ti.

Standing high on a rocky mountain, you can see the people all around. In just the same way, All-seer, so intelligent, having ascended the Temple of Truth, rid of sorrow, look upon the people swamped with sorrow, overcome by rebirth and old age. Rise, hero! Victor in battle, caravan leader, wander the world free of debt. Let the Blessed One teach the Dhamma! There will be those who understand!’

Atha khvāhaṁ, rājakumāra, brahmuno ca ajjhesanaṁ viditvā sattesu ca kāruññataṁ paṭicca buddhacakkhunā lokaṁ volokesiṁ.
Addasaṁ kho ahaṁ, rājakumāra, buddhacakkhunā lokaṁ volokento satte apparajakkhe mahārajakkhe tikkhindriye mudindriye svākāre dvākāre suviññāpaye duviññāpaye appekacce paralokavajjabhayadassāvine viharante, appekacce na paralokavajjabhayadassāvine viharante.
Seyyathāpi nāma uppaliniyaṁ vā paduminiyaṁ vā puṇḍarīkiniyaṁ vā appekaccāni uppalāni vā padumāni vā puṇḍarīkāni vā udake jātāni udake saṁvaḍḍhāni udakānuggatāni antonimuggaposīni, appekaccāni uppalāni vā padumāni vā puṇḍarīkāni vā udake jātāni udake saṁvaḍḍhāni udakānuggatāni samodakaṁ ṭhitāni, appekaccāni uppalāni vā padumāni vā puṇḍarīkāni vā udake jātāni udake saṁvaḍḍhāni udakā accuggamma ṭhitāni anupalittāni udakena;

Then, understanding the Divinity’s invitation, I surveyed the world with the eye of a Buddha, because of my compassion for sentient beings. And I saw sentient beings with little dust in their eyes, and some with much dust in their eyes; with keen faculties and with weak faculties, with good qualities and with bad qualities, easy to teach and hard to teach. And some of them lived seeing the danger in the fault to do with the next world, while others did not. It’s like a pool with blue water lilies, or pink or white lotuses. Some of them sprout and grow in the water without rising above it, thriving underwater. Some of them sprout and grow in the water reaching the water’s surface. And some of them sprout and grow in the water but rise up above the water and stand with no water clinging to them.

evameva kho ahaṁ, rājakumāra; buddhacakkhunā lokaṁ volokento addasaṁ satte apparajakkhe mahārajakkhe tikkhindriye mudindriye svākāre dvākāre suviññāpaye duviññāpaye, appekacce paralokavajjabhayadassāvine viharante, appekacce na paralokavajjabhayadassāvine viharante.
Atha khvāhaṁ, rājakumāra, brahmānaṁ sahampatiṁ gāthāya paccabhāsiṁ:
‘Apārutā tesaṁ amatassa dvārā,
Ye sotavanto pamuñcantu saddhaṁ;
Vihiṁsasaññī paguṇaṁ na bhāsiṁ,
Dhammaṁ paṇītaṁ manujesu brahme’ti.
Atha kho, rājakumāra, brahmā sahampati ‘katāvakāso khomhi bhagavatā dhammadesanāyā’ti maṁ abhivādetvā padakkhiṇaṁ katvā tatthevantaradhāyi.

In the same way, I saw sentient beings with little dust in their eyes, and some with much dust in their eyes. Then I replied in verse to the divinity Sahampati: ‘Flung open are the doors to freedom from death! Let those with ears to hear commit to faith. Thinking it would be troublesome, Divinity, I did not teach the sophisticated, sublime Dhamma among mankind.’ Then the divinity Sahampati, knowing that his request for me to teach the Dhamma had been granted, bowed and respectfully circled me, keeping me on his right, before vanishing right there.

Tassa mayhaṁ, rājakumāra, etadahosi:
‘kassa nu kho ahaṁ paṭhamaṁ dhammaṁ deseyyaṁ?
Ko imaṁ dhammaṁ khippameva ājānissatī’ti?
Tassa mayhaṁ, rājakumāra, etadahosi:
‘ayaṁ kho āḷāro kālāmo paṇḍito viyatto medhāvī dīgharattaṁ apparajakkhajātiko.
Yannūnāhaṁ āḷārassa kālāmassa paṭhamaṁ dhammaṁ deseyyaṁ;
so imaṁ dhammaṁ khippameva ājānissatī’ti.
Atha kho maṁ, rājakumāra, devatā upasaṅkamitvā etadavoca:
‘sattāhakālaṅkato, bhante, āḷāro kālāmo’ti.
Ñāṇañca pana me dassanaṁ udapādi:
‘sattāhakālaṅkato āḷāro kālāmo’ti.
Tassa mayhaṁ, rājakumāra, etadahosi:
‘mahājāniyo kho āḷāro kālāmo.
Sace hi so imaṁ dhammaṁ suṇeyya, khippameva ājāneyyā’ti.

Then it occurred to me, ‘Who should I teach first of all? Who will quickly understand the teaching?’ Then it occurred to me, ‘That Āḷāra Kālāma is astute, competent, intelligent, and has long had little dust in his eyes. Why don’t I teach him first of all? He’ll quickly understand the teaching.’ But a deity came to me and said, ‘Sir, Āḷāra Kālāma passed away seven days ago.’ And knowledge and vision arose in me, ‘Āḷāra Kālāma passed away seven days ago.’ Then it occurred to me, ‘This is a great loss for Āḷāra Kālāma. If he had heard the teaching, he would have understood it quickly.’

Tassa mayhaṁ, rājakumāra, etadahosi:
‘kassa nu kho ahaṁ paṭhamaṁ dhammaṁ deseyyaṁ?
Ko imaṁ dhammaṁ khippameva ājānissatī’ti?
Tassa mayhaṁ, rājakumāra, etadahosi:
‘ayaṁ kho udako rāmaputto paṇḍito viyatto medhāvī dīgharattaṁ apparajakkhajātiko.
Yannūnāhaṁ udakassa rāmaputtassa paṭhamaṁ dhammaṁ deseyyaṁ;
so imaṁ dhammaṁ khippameva ājānissatī’ti.
Atha kho maṁ, rājakumāra, devatā upasaṅkamitvā etadavoca:
‘abhidosakālaṅkato, bhante, udako rāmaputto’ti.
Ñāṇañca pana me dassanaṁ udapādi:
‘abhidosakālaṅkato udako rāmaputto’ti.
Tassa mayhaṁ, rājakumāra, etadahosi:
‘mahājāniyo kho udako rāmaputto.
Sace hi so imaṁ dhammaṁ suṇeyya, khippameva ājāneyyā’ti.

Then it occurred to me, ‘Who should I teach first of all? Who will quickly understand the teaching?’ Then it occurred to me, ‘That Uddaka son of Rāma is astute, competent, intelligent, and has long had little dust in his eyes. Why don’t I teach him first of all? He’ll quickly understand the teaching.’ But a deity came to me and said, ‘Sir, Uddaka son of Rāma, passed away just last night.’ And knowledge and vision arose in me, ‘Uddaka son of Rāma, passed away just last night.’ Then it occurred to me, ‘This is a great loss for Uddaka. If he had heard the teaching, he would have understood it quickly.’

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