Bodhirājakumārasutta

Majjhima Nikāya 85

With Prince Bodhi · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral

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then alsoApissu memaṁ, princerājakumāra, deitiesdevatā having seendisvā spoke thusevamāhaṁsu:
dead‘kālaṅkato the asceticsamaṇo Gotamagotamo’ti.
someEkaccā deitiesdevatā spoke thusevamāhaṁsu:
not‘na deadkālaṅkato the asceticsamaṇo Gotamagotamo, butapi andca timekālaṁ is makingkarotī’ti.
someEkaccā deitiesdevatā spoke thusevamāhaṁsu:
not‘na deadkālaṅkato the asceticsamaṇo Gotamagotamo, nornāpi timekālaṁ makeskaroti. a perfected oneArahaṁ the asceticsamaṇo Gotamagotamo. dwellingVihāro indeedtveva thisso of a perfected onearahato suchevarūpo ishotī’ti.

Then some deities saw me and said, ‘The ascetic Gotama is dead.’ Others said, ‘He’s not dead, but he’s dying.’ Others said, ‘He’s not dead or dying. The ascetic Gotama is a perfected one, for that is how the perfected ones live.’

of thatTassa to memayhaṁ, princerājakumāra, this occurredetadahosi:
why don't I‘yannūnāhaṁ completelysabbaso for cutting off foodāhārupacchedāya I would practicepaṭipajjeyyan’ti.
thenAtha indeedkho memaṁ, princerājakumāra, deitiesdevatā having approachedupasaṅkamitvā they said thisetadavocuṁ:
do not‘mā indeedkho youtvaṁ, good fellowmārisa, completelysabbaso for cutting off foodāhārupacchedāya practicepaṭipajji.
ifSace indeedkho youtvaṁ, good fellowmārisa, completelysabbaso for cutting off foodāhārupacchedāya you will practicepaṭipajjissasi, of thattassa to youte wemayaṁ heavenlydibbaṁ nectarojaṁ through the poreslomakūpehi we will infuseajjhohāressāma, on thattāya youtvaṁ you will liveyāpessasī’ti.
of thatTassa to memayhaṁ, princerājakumāra, this occurredetadahosi:
if I‘ahañceva indeedkho butpana completelysabbaso fastingajajjitaṁ I would claimpaṭijāneyyaṁ. theseImā andca to meme deitiesdevatā heavenlydibbaṁ nectarojaṁ through the poreslomakūpehi would infuseajjhohāreyyuṁ, on thattāya and Icāhaṁ would liveyāpeyyaṁ, thattaṁ would be for memamassa a liemusā’ti.
thatSo indeedkho Iahaṁ, princerājakumāra, thosetā deitiesdevatā I refusedpaccācikkhāmi. there is no need‘Halan’ti I sayvadāmi.

Then it occurred to me, ‘Why don’t I practice completely cutting off food?’ But deities came to me and said, ‘Good fellow, don’t practice totally cutting off food. If you do, we’ll infuse heavenly nectar into your pores and you will live on that.’ Then it occurred to me, ‘If I claim to be completely fasting while these deities are infusing heavenly nectar in my pores, that would be a lie on my part.’ So I refused those deities, saying, ‘There’s no need.’

Then it occurred to me, ‘Why don’t I just take a little bit of food each time, a handful of broth made from mung beans, horse gram, chickpeas, or green gram?’ So that’s what I did, until my body became severely emaciated. Due to eating so little, my major and minor limbs became like the joints of an eighty-year-old or a dying man, my bottom became like a camel’s hoof, my vertebrae stuck out like beads on a string,

just asSeyyathāpi indeednāma in an old barnjarasālāya raftersgopānasiyo broken-downoluggaviluggā arebhavanti; just soevamevassu myme ribsphāsuḷiyo gauntoluggaviluggā werebhavanti due to eating so littletāyevappāhāratāya.
just asSeyyathāpi indeednāma in a deepgambhīre welludapāne the gleam of waterudakatārakā sunk deepgambhīragatā submergedokkhāyikā is seendissanti; just soevamevassu myme in the sockets of my eyesakkhikūpesu the gleam of my eyesakkhitārakā sunk deepgambhīragatā submergedokkhāyikā was seendissanti due to eating so littletāyevappāhāratāya.
just asSeyyathāpi indeednāma a bitter-gourdtittakālābu cut greenāmakacchinno by wind and sunvātātapena shrivelledsamphuṭito becomeshoti witheredsammilāto; just soevamevassu myme scalpsīsacchavi shrivelledsamphuṭitā washoti witheredsammilātā due to eating so littletāyevappāhāratāya.
thatSo indeedkho Iahaṁ, princerājakumāra, 'the skin of my belly‘udaracchaviṁ I will rub'parimasissāmī’ti the backbone itselfpiṭṭhikaṇṭakaṁyeva I grabbedpariggaṇhāmi, 'the backbone‘piṭṭhikaṇṭakaṁ I will rub'parimasissāmī’ti the skin of my belly itselfudaracchaviṁyeva I rubbedpariggaṇhāmi. so farYāvassu myme, princerājakumāra, the skin of my bellyudaracchavi to my backbonepiṭṭhikaṇṭakaṁ stuckallīnā washoti due to eating so littletāyevappāhāratāya.
thatSo indeedkho Iahaṁ, princerājakumāra, 'feces‘vaccaṁ orvā urinemuttaṁ orvā I will do'karissāmī’ti right theretattheva face downavakujjo I fellpapatāmi due to eating so littletāyevappāhāratāya.
thatSo indeedkho Iahaṁ, princerājakumāra, this very bodyimameva bodykāyaṁ relievingassāsento with my handpāṇinā my limbsgattāni I rubbedanumajjāmi. of thatTassa memayhaṁ, princerājakumāra, with my handpāṇinā my limbsgattāni while rubbinganumajjato rotted at their rootspūtimūlāni hairslomāni from my bodykāyasmā fell outpapatanti due to eating so littletāyevappāhāratāya.

and my ribs were as gaunt as the broken-down rafters on an old barn. Due to eating so little, the gleam of my eyes sank deep in their sockets, like the gleam of water sunk deep down a well. Due to eating so little, my scalp shriveled and withered like a green bitter-gourd in the wind and sun. Due to eating so little, the skin of my belly stuck to my backbone, so that when I tried to rub the skin of my belly I grabbed my backbone, and when I tried to rub my backbone I rubbed the skin of my belly. Due to eating so little, when I tried to urinate or defecate I fell face down right there. Due to eating so little, when I tried to relieve my body by rubbing my limbs with my hands, the hair, rotted at its roots, fell out.

and then someApissu memaṁ, princerājakumāra, peoplemanussā having seendisvā thus saidevamāhaṁsu: ‘black‘kāḷo asceticsamaṇo Gotama’,”gotamo’ti,
someekacce peoplemanussā thus saidevamāhaṁsu: ‘not‘na blackkāḷo asceticsamaṇo Gotama,gotamo, brownsāmo asceticsamaṇo Gotama’.”gotamo’ti.
someEkacce peoplemanussā thus saidevamāhaṁsu: ‘not‘na blackkāḷo asceticsamaṇo Gotamo,gotamo, nornapi brown,sāmo, dingy-skinnedmaṅguracchavi asceticsamaṇo Gotama’.”gotamo’ti.
so farYāvassu my,me, prince,rājakumāra, sotāva pureparisuddho complexionchavivaṇṇo brightpariyodāto ruinedupahato had beenhoti by just that taking of so little foodtāyevappāhāratāya.

Then some people saw me and said, ‘The ascetic Gotama is black.’ Some said, ‘He’s not black, he’s brown.’ Some said, ‘He’s neither black nor brown. The ascetic Gotama has dingy skin.’ That’s how far the pure, bright complexion of my skin had been ruined by taking so little food.

of thatTassa to memayhaṁ, princerājakumāra, this occurredetadahosi:
which‘ye indeedkho anykeci in the pastatītamaddhānaṁ asceticssamaṇā orvā brahminsbrāhmaṇā orvā due to exertionopakkamikā painfuldukkhā sharptibbā severekharā acutekaṭukā feelingsvedanā experiencedvedayiṁsu, this is as far as it goesetāvaparamaṁ than thisnayito morebhiyyo.
those whoYepi forhi anykeci in the futureanāgatamaddhānaṁ asceticssamaṇā orvā brahminsbrāhmaṇā orvā due to exertionopakkamikā painfuldukkhā sharptibbā severekharā acutekaṭukā feelingsvedanā will experiencevedayissanti, this is as far as it goesetāvaparamaṁ than thisnayito morebhiyyo.
those whoYepi forhi anykeci nowetarahi asceticssamaṇā orvā brahminsbrāhmaṇā orvā due to exertionopakkamikā painfuldukkhā sharptibbā severekharā acutekaṭukā feelingsvedanā experiencevedayanti, this is as far as it goesetāvaparamaṁ than thisnayito morebhiyyo.
notNa indeedkho but Ipanāhaṁ by thisimāya severekaṭukāya grueling workdukkarakārikāya I achieveadhigacchāmi furtheruttari superhuman statemanussadhammā distinction in knowledge and vision worthy of the noble onesalamariyañāṇadassanavisesaṁ;
there might besiyā nownu indeedkho anotherañño pathmaggo to awakeningbodhāyā’ti.

Then it occurred to me, ‘Whatever ascetics and brahmins have experienced painful, sharp, severe, acute feelings due to exertion—whether in the past, future, or present—this is as far as it goes, no-one has done more than this. But I have not achieved any superhuman distinction in knowledge and vision worthy of the noble ones by this severe, grueling work. Could there be another path to awakening?’

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