Buddhist shelf · Pali Canon · Dīgha Nikāya 11
KevaṭṭasuttaThe Three Wonders, and the Gods
The Pali beside T. W. Rhys Davids’s English translation of 1899, from Dialogues of the Buddha, part 1.
Public domain. Rhys Davids’s translation was published in 1899; he died in 1922. The Pali is the Mahāsaṅgīti edition published by SuttaCentral under CC0. Rhys Davids prints the page numbers of the Pali Text Society edition in his translation, and SuttaCentral records the same page numbers in the Pali, so each PTS page of Pali (pp. 211–223) is shown beside the English of that page.
Rhys Davids’s introduction
Introduction
Kevaddha Sutta.
IN this Sutta we have the position taken up by the early Buddhists, and no doubt by Gotama himself, as to the practice of the wonders or miracles, in which there was then universal belief.
They were not, however, miracles in our Western sense. There was no interference by an outside power with the laws of nature. It was supposed that certain people, by reason of special (but quite natural) powers, could accomplish certain special acts beyond the power of ordinary men. These acts are eight in number: and as set forth in detail (above, pp. 88, 89) remind us of some (not of all) the powers now attributed to mediums. The belief is not Buddhist. It is pre-Buddhistic, and common to all schools of thought in India.
As usual1 the Buddha is represented as not taking the trouble to doubt or dispute the fact of the existence of such powers. He simply says that he loathes the practice of them; and that a greater and better wonder than any or all of them is education in the system of self-training which culminates in Arahatship. There is no evidence of a similarly reasonable view of this question of wonders having been put forward by any Indian teacher before the Buddha.
It is very strange that Childers should have stated (Dict. p. 157) that 'Iddhi is the peculiar attribute of the Arahats.' He gives no authority for the statement. Devadatta, who was the very reverse of an Arahat, was noted for his power of Iddhi. And of the many Arahats mentioned in the books, only one or two, notably Moggallâna, were famed for this acquirement. They could have it, of course; just as they could have any craft or skill of the unconverted. But the eight powers referred to above are called the pothugganikâ- or puthugganikâ-iddhi2 or âmisâ-iddhi3; that is, precisely not an attribute of the Arahats, or even of men in the lower stages of the Path, but of the worldly, the unconverted, a practice carried out for worldly gain.
We have the Iddhi, the majestic movement, of animals1--the Iddhi, the glory and majesty and potency, of a king2--the Iddhi, the prosperity and splendour, of a rich young man3--the Iddhi, the craft and power, of a hunter4--the Iddhi, in the technical sense just explained, of the unconverted wonder-worker. The Iddhi of the Arahats, as such, was the majesty and potency of their victory, of their emancipation5.
In illustration of his position Gotama is represented to have told a wonderful legend--how a Bhikshu, seeking the answer to a deep problem in religion and philosophy, goes up and up, by the power of his Iddhi, from world to world, appealing to the gods. In each heaven, as he mounts ever higher, the gods confess their ignorance, and send him on to the gods above, more potent and more glorious than they. And so he comes at last to the great god of gods, the Mahâ Brahmâ himself, only to be taken discreetly aside, and told in confidence, so that the gods may not hear it, that he too, the Mahâ Brahmâ, does not know the answer!
All the details of the story are worked out with persistent humour, characteristic of such legends in the Buddhist books, in order to bring out the two lessons--in the first place how, in all such matters, to trust to the gods is to lean on a broken reed; and secondly, how perfectly useless is the power of such Iddhi, which, even at its best, can give no better help than that to one in earnest about higher things.
The problem put is of great interest; and goes to the very core of the Buddhist Welt-anschauung, of Buddhist philosophy. The world, as we know it, is within each of us.
'Verily, I declare to you, my friend, that within this very body, mortal as it is and only a fathom high, but conscious and endowed with mind6, is, the world, and the waxing thereof, and the waning thereof, and the way that leads to the passing away thereof7.' On this Dr. Karl Neumann, whose illustrations of Buddhist texts from passages in Western literature, old and new, are so happy, appropriately compares Schopenhauer's saying (W. W. V. I, 538), 'One can also say that Kant's teaching leads to the view that the beginning and end of the world are not to be sought without, but within, us.'
The problem, as put by the Bhikshu to the gods, is: 'Where do the elements pass away?' The Buddha, in giving his solution, first says that that is not the right way to put the question. It ought to be: 'Where do the elements find no foothold; where does that union of qualities that make a person (nâma and rûpa) pass away?'
The alteration is suggestive. The person should be introduced; a thinking being. We only know of the elements and their derivatives, as reflected in, constructed by, human intelligence. To the question, as thus altered, the answer is: 'They find no foothold in the mind of the Arahat, and when intellection (with special reference to the representative faculty) ceases, then they, and the person with them, cease.
So in the Bâhiya story (Ud. I, IO) we are told:
'There, where earth, water, fire, and wind no footing find,
There are the nights not bright, nor suns resplendent,
No moon shines there, there is no darkness seen.
And then, when he, the Arahat hath, in his wisdom, seen;
From well and ill, from form and formless, is he freed!'
This is a striking, and in all probability intentional, contrast to the Upanishad passages where the same kind of language is used of the Great Soul, the corollary of the human soul. It is one of many instances (as has been pointed out by Father Dahlmann) where the same expressions, used in the Pitakas of the Arahat, are used in the older or later priestly speculation of God.
We have another reference to the view that the Four Elements find no foothold in the Arahat at Samyutta I, 15. And we see what is meant by this from verse 1111 in the Sutta Nipâta: 'To him who harbours no delight in feelings that arise, either from within or without, cognition (Vinññâna) tends to wane.' That is, of course, not that his mental activity grows less--the mental alertness of the Arahat is laid stress upon throughout the books. The picture drawn of the Arahat par excellence, the Buddha himself, is a standing example of what the early Buddhists considered a man to be in whom the Vññâna had waned. Whatever else it is, it is the very reverse of a man intellectually asleep, unconscious of what is said to him, dull to ideas. But it is the picture of a man to whom the Four Elements, and all that follows from them, material things, and the ways in which they affect him, have ceased to have the paramount importance they have to the thoughtless1.
Rhys Davids’s notes (3)
2. Vin. II, 183; Gât. I, 360.
3. A. I, 93.}
2. Above, p. 88, and Gât. III, 454.
3. A. I, 145.
4. M. I, 152.
5. That is, in the Pitakas. In some passages of the fifth century A.D. it seems to be implied that, in certain cases, Iddhi was then considered to be a consequence of the Arahatta.
6. Samanake, perhaps 'with the repreientative faculty.' Compare saviññânake kâye (A. I, 132). Morris here has, wrongly, samanaka.
7. Anguttara II, 48--Samyutta I, 62.}
1. On Viññânassa nirodho, see further Ud. VIII, 9; S. III, 54-58; A. II, 45; and compare Asl. 350; A. IV, 39; and above. p. 87.
Pali
Evaṁ me sutaṁ— ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā nāḷandāyaṁ viharati pāvārikambavane.
Atha kho kevaṭṭo gahapatiputto yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho kevaṭṭo gahapatiputto bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: “ayaṁ, bhante, nāḷandā iddhā ceva phītā ca bahujanā ākiṇṇamanussā bhagavati abhippasannā. Sādhu, bhante, bhagavā ekaṁ bhikkhuṁ samādisatu, yo uttari manussadhammā iddhipāṭihāriyaṁ karissati; evāyaṁ nāḷandā bhiyyoso mattāya bhagavati abhippasīdissatī”ti.
Evaṁ vutte, bhagavā kevaṭṭaṁ gahapatiputtaṁ etadavoca: “na kho ahaṁ, kevaṭṭa, bhikkhūnaṁ evaṁ dhammaṁ desemi: ‘etha tumhe, bhikkhave, gihīnaṁ odātavasanānaṁ uttari manussadhammā iddhipāṭihāriyaṁ karothā’”ti.
English Rhys Davids 1899
1. Thus have I heard. The Exalted One was once staying at Nâlandâ in the Pâvârika's mango grove1. Now Kevaddha2, a young householder, came where the Exalted One was, and bowed down in salutation to him, and took a seat on one side. And, so seated, he said to the Exalted One:
'This Nâlandâ of ours, Sir, is influential and prosperous, full of folk, crowded with people devoted to the Exalted One. It were well if the Exalted One were to give command to some brother to perform, by power surpassing that of ordinary men, a mystic wonder. Thus would this Nâlandâ of ours become even so much the more devoted to the Exalted One.'
On his speaking thus the Exalted One said to him:
'But, Kevaddha, it is not thus that I am wont to give instruction to the brethren: "Come now, my brethren; perform ye a mystic wonder, by power surpassing that of ordinary men, for the lay folk clad in their garments of white!"
2. And a second time Kevaddha made the same request to the Exalted One, and received a second time the same reply.
Pali
Dutiyampi kho kevaṭṭo gahapatiputto bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: “nāhaṁ, bhante, bhagavantaṁ dhaṁsemi; api ca evaṁ vadāmi: ‘ayaṁ, bhante, nāḷandā iddhā ceva phītā ca bahujanā ākiṇṇamanussā bhagavati abhippasannā. Sādhu, bhante, bhagavā ekaṁ bhikkhuṁ samādisatu, yo uttari manussadhammā iddhipāṭihāriyaṁ karissati; evāyaṁ nāḷandā bhiyyoso mattāya bhagavati abhippasīdissatī’”ti. Dutiyampi kho bhagavā kevaṭṭaṁ gahapatiputtaṁ etadavoca: “na kho ahaṁ, kevaṭṭa, bhikkhūnaṁ evaṁ dhammaṁ desemi: ‘etha tumhe, bhikkhave, gihīnaṁ odātavasanānaṁ uttari manussadhammā iddhipāṭihāriyaṁ karothā’”ti.
Tatiyampi kho kevaṭṭo gahapatiputto bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: “nāhaṁ, bhante, bhagavantaṁ dhaṁsemi; api ca evaṁ vadāmi: ‘ayaṁ, bhante, nāḷandā iddhā ceva phītā ca bahujanā ākiṇṇamanussā bhagavati abhippasannā. Sādhu, bhante, bhagavā ekaṁ bhikkhuṁ samādisatu, yo uttari manussadhammā iddhipāṭihāriyaṁ karissati. Evāyaṁ nāḷandā bhiyyoso mattāya bhagavati abhippasīdissatī’”ti.
1. Iddhipāṭihāriya
“Tīṇi kho imāni, kevaṭṭa, pāṭihāriyāni mayā sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā paveditāni. Katamāni tīṇi? Iddhipāṭihāriyaṁ, ādesanāpāṭihāriyaṁ, anusāsanīpāṭihāriyaṁ.
Katamañca, kevaṭṭa, iddhipāṭihāriyaṁ? Idha, kevaṭṭa, bhikkhu anekavihitaṁ iddhividhaṁ paccanubhoti—ekopi hutvā bahudhā hoti, bahudhāpi hutvā eko hoti; āvibhāvaṁ tirobhāvaṁ tirokuṭṭaṁ tiropākāraṁ tiropabbataṁ asajjamāno gacchati seyyathāpi ākāse; pathaviyāpi ummujjanimujjaṁ karoti seyyathāpi udake; udakepi abhijjamāne gacchati seyyathāpi pathaviyaṁ; ākāsepi pallaṅkena kamati seyyathāpi pakkhī sakuṇo; imepi candimasūriye evaṁ mahiddhike evaṁ mahānubhāve pāṇinā parāmasati parimajjati; yāva brahmalokāpi kāyena vasaṁ vatteti.
English Rhys Davids 1899
3. And a third time Kevaddha, the young householder, addressed the Exalted One, and said:
'I would fain do no injury to the Exalted One. I only say that this Nâlandâ of ours is influential and prosperous, full of folk, crowded with people devoted to the Exalted One. It were well if the Exalted One were to give command to some brother to perform, by power surpassing that of ordinary men, a mystic wonder. Thus would this Nâlandâ of ours become even so much the more devoted to the Exalted One.'
'There are three sorts of wonders, Kevaddha, which I, having myself understood and realised them, have made known to others. And what are the three? The mystic wonder, the wonder of manifestation, and the wonder of education1.
4. 'And what, Kevaddha, is the mystic wonder?
'In this case, Kevaddha, suppose that a brother enjoys the possession, in various ways, of mystic power--from being one he becomes multiform, from being multiform he becomes one: from being visible he becomes invisible: he passes without hindrance to the further side of a wall or a battlement or a mountain, as if through air: he penetrates up and down through solid ground, as if through water: he walks on water without dividing it, as if on solid ground: he travels cross-legged through the sky, like the birds on wing: he touches and feels with the hand even the Moon and the Sun, beings of mystic power and potency though they be: he reaches, even in the body, up to the heaven of Brahmâ. And some believer, of trusting heart, should behold him doing so.
Pali
Tamenaṁ aññataro saddho pasanno passati taṁ bhikkhuṁ anekavihitaṁ iddhividhaṁ paccanubhontaṁ—ekopi hutvā bahudhā hontaṁ, bahudhāpi hutvā eko hontaṁ; āvibhāvaṁ tirobhāvaṁ; tirokuṭṭaṁ tiropākāraṁ tiropabbataṁ asajjamānaṁ gacchantaṁ seyyathāpi ākāse; pathaviyāpi ummujjanimujjaṁ karontaṁ seyyathāpi udake; udakepi abhijjamāne gacchantaṁ seyyathāpi pathaviyaṁ; ākāsepi pallaṅkena kamantaṁ seyyathāpi pakkhī sakuṇo; imepi candimasūriye evaṁ mahiddhike evaṁ mahānubhāve pāṇinā parāmasantaṁ parimajjantaṁ yāva brahmalokāpi kāyena vasaṁ vattentaṁ.
Tamenaṁ so saddho pasanno aññatarassa assaddhassa appasannassa āroceti: ‘acchariyaṁ vata bho, abbhutaṁ vata bho, samaṇassa mahiddhikatā mahānubhāvatā. Amāhaṁ bhikkhuṁ addasaṁ anekavihitaṁ iddhividhaṁ paccanubhontaṁ—ekopi hutvā bahudhā hontaṁ, bahudhāpi hutvā eko hontaṁ …pe… yāva brahmalokāpi kāyena vasaṁ vattentan’ti.
Tamenaṁ so assaddho appasanno taṁ saddhaṁ pasannaṁ evaṁ vadeyya: ‘atthi kho, bho, gandhārī nāma vijjā. Tāya so bhikkhu anekavihitaṁ iddhividhaṁ paccanubhoti—ekopi hutvā bahudhā hoti, bahudhāpi hutvā eko hoti …pe… yāva brahmalokāpi kāyena vasaṁ vattetī’ti.
Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, kevaṭṭa, api nu so assaddho appasanno taṁ saddhaṁ pasannaṁ evaṁ vadeyyā”ti?
“Vadeyya, bhante”ti.
“Imaṁ kho ahaṁ, kevaṭṭa, iddhipāṭihāriye ādīnavaṁ sampassamāno iddhipāṭihāriyena aṭṭīyāmi harāyāmi jigucchāmi.
2. Ādesanāpāṭihāriya
Katamañca, kevaṭṭa, ādesanāpāṭihāriyaṁ? Idha, kevaṭṭa, bhikkhu parasattānaṁ parapuggalānaṁ cittampi ādisati, cetasikampi ādisati, vitakkitampi ādisati, vicāritampi ādisati: ‘evampi te mano, itthampi te mano, itipi te cittan’ti.
English Rhys Davids 1899
5. 'Then that believer should announce the fact to an unbeliever, saying: "Wonderful, Sir, and marvellous is the mystic power and potency of that recluse. For verily I saw him indulging himself, in various ways, in mystic power:--from being one becoming multiform (&c., as before, down to) reaching, even in the body, up to the heaven of Brahmâ."'
'Then that unbeliever should say to him: "Well, Sir! there is a certain charm called the Gandhara Charm. It is by the efficacy thereof that he performs all this1."'
'Now what think you, Kevaddha? Might not the unbeliever so say?'
'Yes, Sir; he might.'
'Well, Kevaddha! It is because I perceive danger in the practice of mystic wonders, that I loathe, and abhor, and am ashamed thereof.
6. 'And what, Kevaddha, is the wonder of manifestation?
'Suppose, in this case, Kevaddha, that a brother can make manifest the heart and the feelings, the reasonings and the thoughts, of other beings, of other individuals, saying: "So and so is in your mind. You are thinking of such and such a matter. Thus and thus are your emotions." And some believer, of trusting heart, should see him doing so2.
Pali
Tamenaṁ aññataro saddho pasanno passati taṁ bhikkhuṁ parasattānaṁ parapuggalānaṁ cittampi ādisantaṁ, cetasikampi ādisantaṁ, vitakkitampi ādisantaṁ, vicāritampi ādisantaṁ: ‘evampi te mano, itthampi te mano, itipi te cittan’ti. Tamenaṁ so saddho pasanno aññatarassa assaddhassa appasannassa āroceti: ‘acchariyaṁ vata bho, abbhutaṁ vata bho, samaṇassa mahiddhikatā mahānubhāvatā. Amāhaṁ bhikkhuṁ addasaṁ parasattānaṁ parapuggalānaṁ cittampi ādisantaṁ, cetasikampi ādisantaṁ, vitakkitampi ādisantaṁ, vicāritampi ādisantaṁ: “evampi te mano, itthampi te mano, itipi te cittan”’ti.
Tamenaṁ so assaddho appasanno taṁ saddhaṁ pasannaṁ evaṁ vadeyya: ‘atthi kho, bho, maṇikā nāma vijjā; tāya so bhikkhu parasattānaṁ parapuggalānaṁ cittampi ādisati, cetasikampi ādisati, vitakkitampi ādisati, vicāritampi ādisati: “evampi te mano, itthampi te mano, itipi te cittan”’ti.
Taṁ kiṁ maññasi, kevaṭṭa, api nu so assaddho appasanno taṁ saddhaṁ pasannaṁ evaṁ vadeyyā”ti?
“Vadeyya, bhante”ti.
“Imaṁ kho ahaṁ, kevaṭṭa, ādesanāpāṭihāriye ādīnavaṁ sampassamāno ādesanāpāṭihāriyena aṭṭīyāmi harāyāmi jigucchāmi.
3. Anusāsanīpāṭihāriya
Katamañca, kevaṭṭa, anusāsanīpāṭihāriyaṁ? Idha, kevaṭṭa, bhikkhu evamanusāsati: ‘evaṁ vitakketha, mā evaṁ vitakkayittha, evaṁ manasikarotha, mā evaṁ manasākattha, idaṁ pajahatha, idaṁ upasampajja viharathā’ti. Idaṁ vuccati, kevaṭṭa, anusāsanīpāṭihāriyaṁ.
English Rhys Davids 1899
7. 'Then that believer should announce the fact to an unbeliever, saying: "Wonderful, Sir, and marvellous is the mystic power and potency of that recluse. For verily I saw him making manifest the heart and the feelings, the reasonings and the thoughts, of other beings, of other individuals, saying: "So and so is in your mind. You are thinking of such and such a matter. Thus and thus are your emotions."
'Then that unbeliever should say to him: "Well, Sir! there is a charm called the Jewel Charm3. It is by the efficacy thereof that he performs all this."
'Now what think you, Kevaddha? Might not the unbeliever so say?'
'Yes, Sir; he might.'
'Well, Kevaddha! It is because I perceive danger in the practice of the wonder of manifestation, that I loathe, and abhor, and am ashamed thereof.
8. 'And what, Kevaddha, is the wonder of education?
'Suppose, Kevaddha, that a brother teaches thus: "Reason in this way, do not reason in that way. Consider thus, and not thus. Get rid of this disposition, train yourself, and remain, in that." This, Kevaddha, is what is called "The wonder of education."
'And further, Kevaddha, suppose that a Tathâgata is born into the world, &c.'
[The text repeats the Sâmañña-phala Suttanta, §§ 40 to 84, and § 97, that is to say:
1. The preaching of the Buddha.
2. The a wakening of a hearer, and his renunciation of the world.
3. His self-training in act, word, and speech.
4. The minor details of mere morality (summarised above at p. 58) which he observes.
5. The absence of fear, confidence of heart thence arising.
6. The way in which he learns to guard the doors of his senses.
7. The constant self-possession he thus gains.
8. The power of being content with little, of simplicity of life.
9. The emancipation of the heart from the Five Hindrances--covetousness, ill-temper, sloth of body and mind, excitement and worry, and perplexity.
10. The resulting joy and peace that he gains.
11. The training in the Four Raptures.
12. The insight arising from the knowledge of the nature of the body, and its impermanence, and of the fact that consciousness is bound up with it.
13. The realisation of the Four Truths, the destruction of the Intoxicants, and the final assurance of the emancipation of Arahatship.
The refrain throughout is: 'This, Kevaddha, is what is called the wonder of education.']
Pali
Puna caparaṁ, kevaṭṭa, idha tathāgato loke uppajjati arahaṁ sammāsambuddho …pe… Evaṁ kho, kevaṭṭa, bhikkhu sīlasampanno hoti …pe… paṭhamaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja viharati. Idampi vuccati, kevaṭṭa, anusāsanīpāṭihāriyaṁ …pe…
dutiyaṁ jhānaṁ …pe… tatiyaṁ jhānaṁ …pe… catutthaṁ jhānaṁ upasampajja viharati. Idampi vuccati, kevaṭṭa, anusāsanīpāṭihāriyaṁ …pe…
ñāṇadassanāya cittaṁ abhinīharati abhininnāmeti …pe… idampi vuccati, kevaṭṭa, anusāsanīpāṭihāriyaṁ …pe…
nāparaṁ itthattāyāti pajānāti …pe… idampi vuccati, kevaṭṭa, anusāsanīpāṭihāriyaṁ.
Imāni kho, kevaṭṭa, tīṇi pāṭihāriyāni mayā sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā paveditāni.
4. Bhūtanirodhesakabhikkhuvatthu
Bhūtapubbaṁ, kevaṭṭa, imasmiññeva bhikkhusaṅghe aññatarassa bhikkhuno evaṁ cetaso parivitakko udapādi: ‘kattha nu kho ime cattāro mahābhūtā aparisesā nirujjhanti, seyyathidaṁ—pathavīdhātu āpodhātu tejodhātu vāyodhātū’ti?
Atha kho so, kevaṭṭa, bhikkhu tathārūpaṁ samādhiṁ samāpajji, yathāsamāhite citte devayāniyo maggo pāturahosi. Atha kho so, kevaṭṭa, bhikkhu yena cātumahārājikā devā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā cātumahārājike deve etadavoca: ‘kattha nu kho, āvuso, ime cattāro mahābhūtā aparisesā nirujjhanti, seyyathidaṁ—pathavīdhātu āpodhātu tejodhātu vāyodhātū’ti?
English Rhys Davids 1899
67. 'So these, Kevaddha, are the three wonders I have understood and realised myself, and made known to others.
'1Once upon a time, Kevaddha, there occurred to a certain brother in this very company of the brethren, a doubt on the following point: "Where now do these four great elements--earth, water, fire, and wind--pass away, leaving no trace behind?" So that brother, Kevaddha, worked himself up into such a state of ecstasy that the way leading. to the world of the Gods became clear to his ecstatic vision.
68. 'Then that brother, Kevaddha, went up to the realm of the Four Great Kings; and said to the gods thereof: "Where, my friends, do the four great elements--earth, water, fire, and wind--cease, leaving no trace behind?"
'And when he had thus spoken the gods in the heaven of the Four Great Kings said to him: "We, brother, do not know that. But there are the Four Great Kings. more potent and more glorious than we. They will know it."
Pali
Evaṁ vutte, kevaṭṭa, cātumahārājikā devā taṁ bhikkhuṁ etadavocuṁ: ‘mayampi kho, bhikkhu, na jānāma: “yatthime cattāro mahābhūtā aparisesā nirujjhanti, seyyathidaṁ—pathavīdhātu āpodhātu tejodhātu vāyodhātū”ti. Atthi kho, bhikkhu, cattāro mahārājāno amhehi abhikkantatarā ca paṇītatarā ca. Te kho etaṁ jāneyyuṁ: “yatthime cattāro mahābhūtā aparisesā nirujjhanti, seyyathidaṁ—pathavīdhātu āpodhātu tejodhātu vāyodhātū”’ti.
Atha kho so, kevaṭṭa, bhikkhu yena cattāro mahārājāno tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā cattāro mahārāje etadavoca: ‘kattha nu kho, āvuso, ime cattāro mahābhūtā aparisesā nirujjhanti, seyyathidaṁ—pathavīdhātu āpodhātu tejodhātu vāyodhātū’ti? Evaṁ vutte, kevaṭṭa, cattāro mahārājāno taṁ bhikkhuṁ etadavocuṁ: ‘mayampi kho, bhikkhu, na jānāma: “yatthime cattāro mahābhūtā aparisesā nirujjhanti, seyyathidaṁ—pathavīdhātu, āpodhātu tejodhātu vāyodhātū”ti. Atthi kho, bhikkhu, tāvatiṁsā nāma devā amhehi abhikkantatarā ca paṇītatarā ca. Te kho etaṁ jāneyyuṁ: “yatthime cattāro mahābhūtā aparisesā nirujjhanti, seyyathidaṁ—pathavīdhātu āpodhātu tejodhātu vāyodhātū”’ti. Atha kho so, kevaṭṭa, bhikkhu yena tāvatiṁsā devā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā tāvatiṁse deve etadavoca: ‘kattha nu kho, āvuso, ime cattāro mahābhūtā aparisesā nirujjhanti, seyyathidaṁ—pathavīdhātu āpodhātu tejodhātu vāyodhātū’ti? Evaṁ vutte, kevaṭṭa, tāvatiṁsā devā taṁ bhikkhuṁ etadavocuṁ: ‘mayampi kho, bhikkhu, na jānāma: “yatthime cattāro mahābhūtā aparisesā nirujjhanti, seyyathidaṁ—pathavīdhātu āpodhātu tejodhātu vāyodhātū”ti. Atthi kho, bhikkhu, sakko nāma devānamindo amhehi abhikkantataro ca paṇītataro ca. So kho etaṁ jāneyya: “yatthime cattāro mahābhūtā aparisesā nirujjhanti, seyyathidaṁ—pathavīdhātu āpodhātu tejodhātu vāyodhātū”’ti.
Atha kho so, kevaṭṭa, bhikkhu yena sakko devānamindo tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā sakkaṁ devānamindaṁ etadavoca: ‘kattha nu kho, āvuso, ime cattāro mahābhūtā aparisesā nirujjhanti, seyyathidaṁ—pathavīdhātu āpodhātu tejodhātu vāyodhātū’ti? Evaṁ vutte, kevaṭṭa, sakko devānamindo taṁ bhikkhuṁ etadavoca: ‘ahampi kho, bhikkhu, na jānāmi: “yatthime cattāro mahābhūtā aparisesā nirujjhanti, seyyathidaṁ—pathavīdhātu āpodhātu tejodhātu vāyodhātū”ti. Atthi kho, bhikkhu, yāmā nāma devā …pe… suyāmo nāma devaputto … tusitā nāma devā … santussito nāma devaputto … nimmānaratī nāma devā … sunimmito nāma devaputto … paranimmitavasavattī nāma devā … vasavattī nāma devaputto amhehi abhikkantataro ca paṇītataro ca. So kho etaṁ jāneyya: “yatthime cattāro mahābhūtā aparisesā nirujjhanti, seyyathidaṁ—pathavīdhātu āpodhātu tejodhātu vāyodhātū”’ti.English Rhys Davids 1899
69-79. 'Then that brother, Kevaddha, went to the Four Great Kings, [and put the same question, and was sent on, by a similar reply, to the Thirty-three, who sent him on to their king, Sakka; who sent him on to the Yâma gods. who sent him on to their king, Suyâma; who sent him on to the Tusita gods, who sent him on to their king, Santusita; who sent him on to the Nimmâna-rati gods, who sent him on to their king, Sunimmita; who sent him on to the Para-nimmita Vasavatti gods, who sent him on to their king, Vasavatti; who sent him on to the gods of the Brahmâ-world1.']
Pali
Atha kho so, kevaṭṭa, bhikkhu tathārūpaṁ samādhiṁ samāpajji, yathāsamāhite citte brahmayāniyo maggo pāturahosi. Atha kho so, kevaṭṭa, bhikkhu yena brahmakāyikā devā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā brahmakāyike deve etadavoca: ‘kattha nu kho, āvuso, ime cattāro mahābhūtā aparisesā nirujjhanti, seyyathidaṁ—pathavīdhātu āpodhātu tejodhātu vāyodhātū’ti? Evaṁ vutte, kevaṭṭa, brahmakāyikā devā taṁ bhikkhuṁ etadavocuṁ: ‘mayampi kho, bhikkhu, na jānāma: “yatthime cattāro mahābhūtā aparisesā nirujjhanti, seyyathidaṁ—pathavīdhātu āpodhātu tejodhātu vāyodhātū”ti. Atthi kho, bhikkhu, brahmā mahābrahmā abhibhū anabhibhūto aññadatthudaso vasavattī issaro kattā nimmātā seṭṭho sajitā vasī pitā bhūtabhabyānaṁ amhehi abhikkantataro ca paṇītataro ca. So kho etaṁ jāneyya: “yatthime cattāro mahābhūtā aparisesā nirujjhanti, seyyathidaṁ—pathavīdhātu āpodhātu tejodhātu vāyodhātū”’ti.
English Rhys Davids 1899
80. 'Then that brother, Kevaddha, became so absorbed by self-concentration that the way to the Brahmâ-world became clear to his mind thus pacified. And he drew near to the gods of the retinue of Brahmâ, and said: "Where, my friends, do the four great elements-earth, water, fire, and wind-cease, leaving no trace behind?"
'And when he had thus spoken the gods of the retinue of Brahmâ replied: "We, brother, do not know that. But there is Brahmâ, the Great Brahmâ, the Supreme One, the Mighty One, the All-seeing One, the Ruler, the Lord of all, the Controller, the Creator, the Chief of all, appointing to each his place, the Ancient of days, the Father of all that are and are to be2! He is more potent and more glorious than we. He will know it."
'"Where then is that Great Brahmâ now?"
'"We, brother. know not where Brahmâ is, nor why Brahmâ is, nor whence. But, brother, when the signs of his coming appear, when the light ariseth, and the glory shineth, then will He be manifest. For that is the portent of the manifestation of Brahmâ when the light ariseth, and the glory shineth."
Pali
‘Kahaṁ panāvuso, etarahi so mahābrahmā’ti? ‘Mayampi kho, bhikkhu, na jānāma, yattha vā brahmā yena vā brahmā yahiṁ vā brahmā; api ca, bhikkhu, yathā nimittā dissanti, āloko sañjāyati, obhāso pātubhavati, brahmā pātubhavissati, brahmuno hetaṁ pubbanimittaṁ pātubhāvāya, yadidaṁ āloko sañjāyati, obhāso pātubhavatī’ti. Atha kho so, kevaṭṭa, mahābrahmā nacirasseva pāturahosi.
Atha kho so, kevaṭṭa, bhikkhu yena so mahābrahmā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā taṁ mahābrahmānaṁ etadavoca: ‘kattha nu kho, āvuso, ime cattāro mahābhūtā aparisesā nirujjhanti, seyyathidaṁ—pathavīdhātu āpodhātu tejodhātu vāyodhātū’ti? Evaṁ vutte, kevaṭṭa, so mahābrahmā taṁ bhikkhuṁ etadavoca: ‘ahamasmi, bhikkhu, brahmā mahābrahmā abhibhū anabhibhūto aññadatthudaso vasavattī issaro kattā nimmātā seṭṭho sajitā vasī pitā bhūtabhabyānan’ti.
Dutiyampi kho so, kevaṭṭa, bhikkhu taṁ mahābrahmānaṁ etadavoca: ‘na khohaṁ taṁ, āvuso, evaṁ pucchāmi: “tvamasi brahmā mahābrahmā abhibhū anabhibhūto aññadatthudaso vasavattī issaro kattā nimmātā seṭṭho sajitā vasī pitā bhūtabhabyānan”ti. Evañca kho ahaṁ taṁ, āvuso, pucchāmi: “kattha nu kho, āvuso, ime cattāro mahābhūtā aparisesā nirujjhanti, seyyathidaṁ—pathavīdhātu āpodhātu tejodhātu vāyodhātū”’ti?
Dutiyampi kho so, kevaṭṭa, mahābrahmā taṁ bhikkhuṁ etadavoca: ‘ahamasmi, bhikkhu, brahmā mahābrahmā abhibhū anabhibhūto aññadatthudaso vasavattī issaro kattā nimmātā seṭṭho sajitā vasī pitā bhūtabhabyānan’ti. Tatiyampi kho so, kevaṭṭa, bhikkhu taṁ mahābrahmānaṁ etadavoca: ‘na khohaṁ taṁ, āvuso, evaṁ pucchāmi: “tvamasi brahmā mahābrahmā abhibhū anabhibhūto aññadatthudaso vasavattī issaro kattā nimmātā seṭṭho sajitā vasī pitā bhūtabhabyānan”ti. Evañca kho ahaṁ taṁ, āvuso, pucchāmi: “kattha nu kho, āvuso, ime cattāro mahābhūtā aparisesā nirujjhanti, seyyathidaṁ—pathavīdhātu āpodhātu tejodhātu vāyodhātū”’ti?
English Rhys Davids 1899
81. 'And it was not long, Kevaddha, before that Great Brahmâ became manifest. And that brother drew near to him, and said: "Where, my friend, do the four great elements--earth, water, fire, and wind--cease, leaving no trace behind?"'
And when he had thus spoken that Great Brahmâ said to him: "I, brother, am the Great Brahmâ, the Supreme, the Mighty, the All-seeing, the Ruler, the Lord of all, the Controller, the Creator, the Chief of all, appointing to each his place, the Ancient of days, the Father of all that are and are to be!"
82. 'Then that brother answered Brahmâ, and said: "I did not ask you, friend, as to whether you were indeed all that you now say. But I ask you where the four great elements--earth, water, fire, and wind--cease, leaving no trace behind?"
83. 'Then again, Kevaddha, Brahmâ gave the same reply. And that brother, yet a third time, put to Brahmâ his question as before. 'Then, Kevaddha, the Great Brahmâ took that brother by the arm and led him aside, and said:
Pali
Atha kho so, kevaṭṭa, mahābrahmā taṁ bhikkhuṁ bāhāyaṁ gahetvā ekamantaṁ apanetvā taṁ bhikkhuṁ etadavoca: ‘ime kho maṁ, bhikkhu, brahmakāyikā devā evaṁ jānanti, “natthi kiñci brahmuno aññātaṁ, natthi kiñci brahmuno adiṭṭhaṁ, natthi kiñci brahmuno aviditaṁ, natthi kiñci brahmuno asacchikatan”ti. Tasmāhaṁ tesaṁ sammukhā na byākāsiṁ. Ahampi kho, bhikkhu, na jānāmi yatthime cattāro mahābhūtā aparisesā nirujjhanti, seyyathidaṁ—pathavīdhātu āpodhātu tejodhātu vāyodhātūti. Tasmātiha, bhikkhu, tuyhevetaṁ dukkaṭaṁ, tuyhevetaṁ aparaddhaṁ, yaṁ tvaṁ taṁ bhagavantaṁ atidhāvitvā bahiddhā pariyeṭṭhiṁ āpajjasi imassa pañhassa veyyākaraṇāya. Gaccha tvaṁ, bhikkhu, tameva bhagavantaṁ upasaṅkamitvā imaṁ pañhaṁ puccha, yathā ca te bhagavā byākaroti, tathā naṁ dhāreyyāsī’ti.
Atha kho so, kevaṭṭa, bhikkhu—seyyathāpi nāma balavā puriso samiñjitaṁ vā bāhaṁ pasāreyya, pasāritaṁ vā bāhaṁ samiñjeyya; evameva brahmaloke antarahito mama purato pāturahosi. Atha kho so, kevaṭṭa, bhikkhu maṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi, ekamantaṁ nisinno kho, kevaṭṭa, so bhikkhu maṁ etadavoca: ‘kattha nu kho, bhante, ime cattāro mahābhūtā aparisesā nirujjhanti, seyyathidaṁ—pathavīdhātu āpodhātu tejodhātu vāyodhātū’ti?
4.1. Tīradassisakuṇupamā
English Rhys Davids 1899
'"These gods, the retinue of Brahmâ, hold me, brother, to be such that there is nothing I cannot see, nothing I have not understood, nothing I have not realised. Therefore I gave no answer in their presence. I do not know, brother, where those four great elements--earth, water, fire, and wind--cease, leaving no trace behind. Therefore you, brother, have done wrong, have acted ill, in that, ignoring1 the Exalted One. you have undertaken this long search, among others, for an answer to this question. Go you now, return to the Exalted One, ask him the question, and accept the answer according as he shall make reply."
84. 'Then, Kevaddha, that Bhikkhu, as quickly as one could stretch forth his bended arm, or draw it in when stretched forth, vanished from the Brahmâ-world, and appeared before me. And he bowed in salutation to me, and took his seat on one side; and, so seated, he said to me: "Where is it, Sir, that these four great elements--earth, water, fire, and wind--cease, leaving no trace behind?"
85. 'And when he had thus spoken, Kevaddha, I answered him thus: "Long, long ago, brother, sea-faring traders were wont, when they were setting sail on an ocean voyage, to take with them a land-sighting bird. And when the ship got out of sight of the shore they would let the land-sighting bird free. Such a bird would fly to the East, and to the South, and to the West, and to the North, to the zenith, and to the intermediate points of the compass. And if anywhere on the horizon it caught sight of land, thither would it fly. But if no land, all round about, were visible, it would come back even to the ship. Just so, brother, do you, having sought an answer to this question, and sought it in vain, even up to the Brahmâ-world, come back therefore to me.
Pali
Evaṁ vutte, ahaṁ, kevaṭṭa, taṁ bhikkhuṁ etadavocaṁ—
bhūtapubbaṁ, bhikkhu, sāmuddikā vāṇijā tīradassiṁ sakuṇaṁ gahetvā nāvāya samuddaṁ ajjhogāhanti. Te atīradakkhiniyā nāvāya tīradassiṁ sakuṇaṁ muñcanti. So gacchateva puratthimaṁ disaṁ, gacchati dakkhiṇaṁ disaṁ, gacchati pacchimaṁ disaṁ, gacchati uttaraṁ disaṁ, gacchati uddhaṁ disaṁ, gacchati anudisaṁ. Sace so samantā tīraṁ passati, tathāgatakova hoti. Sace pana so samantā tīraṁ na passati, tameva nāvaṁ paccāgacchati.
Evameva kho tvaṁ, bhikkhu, yato yāva brahmalokā pariyesamāno imassa pañhassa veyyākaraṇaṁ nājjhagā, atha mamaññeva santike paccāgato. Na kho eso, bhikkhu, pañho evaṁ pucchitabbo: ‘kattha nu kho, bhante, ime cattāro mahābhūtā aparisesā nirujjhanti, seyyathidaṁ—pathavīdhātu āpodhātu tejodhātu vāyodhātū’ti?
Evañca kho eso, bhikkhu, pañho pucchitabbo:
‘Kattha āpo ca pathavī,
tejo vāyo na gādhati;
Kattha dīghañca rassañca,
aṇuṁ thūlaṁ subhāsubhaṁ;
Kattha nāmañca rūpañca,
asesaṁ uparujjhatī’ti.
Tatra veyyākaraṇaṁ bhavati:
‘Viññāṇaṁ anidassanaṁ,
anantaṁ sabbatopabhaṁ;Ettha āpo ca pathavī,
tejo vāyo na gādhati.
Ettha dīghañca rassañca,
aṇuṁ thūlaṁ subhāsubhaṁ;Ettha nāmañca rūpañca,
asesaṁ uparujjhati;
Viññāṇassa nirodhena,
etthetaṁ uparujjhatī’”ti.
Idamavoca bhagavā. Attamano kevaṭṭo gahapatiputto bhagavato bhāsitaṁ abhinandīti.
English Rhys Davids 1899
Now the question, brother, should not be put as you have put it. Instead of asking where the four great elements cease, leaving no trace behind, you should have asked:
'On that the answer is:
'The intellect of Arahatship, the invisible, the endless, accessible from every side2--
Thus spake the Exalted One. And Kevaddha, the young householder, pleased at heart, rejoiced at the spoken word.
Here ends the Kevaddha Suttanta.
Rhys Davids’s notes (7)
2. The MSS. differ as to the spelling of this name. It is improbable that a wealthy and distinguished man, of high social position, should have been called Kevatta, 'fisherman.' However, Dr. Neumann, who has translated this Suttanta in his 'Buddhistische Anthropologie,' pp. 62-100, has adopted this form; and it may turn out to be the better of the two.}
1. These are explained at length in the Samgârava Sutta, A. I, 168-173.
2. The Samgârava Sutta (loc. cit.) tells us how--either by omens, or by interpreting exterior sounds, or by hearing the actual sound of the man's mental operations, or by knowing, in his own heart, the heart of the other.
3. Identified here, by Buddhaghosa, with the Kintâmanî Viggâ, which, according to Gât. III, 504, is only for following up trails. Compare Sum. 265, 267, 271.
It is most probable that the Gâtaka is right in both cases as to the meaning of these charm-names, and that the objector is intentionally represented, like Kanha in the Ambattha Suttanta, to be 'drawing the long bow.'}
1. From here to the end has been translated by the late Henry C. Warren in his 'Buddhism in Translations,' pp. 308 foll.
2. So also above, p. 31.}
1. Atisitvâ. The Siamese edition has abhisimsitvâ. On atisitvâ see Morris in the J. P. T. S., 1886, and Fausböll at S. N. II, 366.
2. Paham. Buddhaghosa takes this in the sense of tittha; that is, ghat, flight of steps or shelving beach from which to step down into water. James d'Alwis, who usually gives the view of Batuwan Tudâwa, took it as = pabham, shining--which Buddhaghosa, who gives it as an alternative explanation, had rejected ('Buddhist Nirvâna,' p. 39). Dr. Neumann, the only European writer who has discussed the point. thinks it is put by the poet, metri causa, for pagaham, 'rejecting.' But an English poet, if he wanted to save a syllable, would scarcely write 'recting' for 'rejecting.' And the Pâli poet, had he wished to give that meaning, could easily have found other means. He need have gone no further afield than adopting simply gaham. That viññâna, when qualified by such adjectives as those here used, can be meant for the viññâna of a man who has attained to Nirvâna, could be supported by other passages from the Pitakas.}