Contents

Introduction

The Theragaathaa, the Verses of the Elders, is a work found in the Khuddaka Nikaaya of the Sutta Pi.taka of the Paali Canon. As its name indicates, this is a collection of verses ascribed to various elder monks, mostly celebrating their attainment of arahantship. As with a number of other works in the Paali Canon, such as the A"nguttara Nikaaya and the Itivuttaka, the Theragaathaa is divided into sections (nipaata) with progressively increasing numbers of verses. It begins with a section of single verses, then continues with pairs, triplets, and so forth. In the later sections this system breaks down and the number of verses which the poems actually contain only approximate to the number of the section.

The present work is a translation accompanying the original Paali text of the final and longest section of the Theragaathaa, the Mahaanipaata or "Great Section." This is a self-contained anthology of fourteen poems with seventy-one verses, composed by a single elder, the Venerable Va"ngiisa. Although not indicated in the text, the various occasions for the composition and recitation of these poems is to be found in the commentary. These in turn are a summary of the information supplied by the Va"ngiisa-sa.myutta of the Sa.myutta Nikaaya, where we find a parallel version of these poems embedded in a series of short suttas giving the circumstances of their composition. Interestingly, the two versions of the poems are not identical, though the differences are mostly slight. They consist mainly of dialectical variants from a time when Paali was an oral literature being collected from the several dialects of Maagadhii, the actual spoken language of that region of Northern India in which the Buddha and his early followers lived and preached the Dhamma.

The author of these poems, the Venerable Va"ngiisa, was designated by the Buddha as the foremost of his disciples with respect to spontaneity of speech (pa.tibhaanavantaana.m, A I 24). This gift is evidently a reference to the Parosahassa Sutta (S I 192-93) where, after reciting a poem (No. VIII of the translation), the Buddha asked Va"ngiisa whether it had been devised by him beforehand or had occurred to him "on the spot" (.thaanaso va ta.m pa.tibhanti). When Va"ngiisa affirmed the latter, the Buddha invited him to compose some more verses, and the result was the next poem (No. IX).

Apart from what we can glean from the poems themselves and the suttas of the Va"ngiisa-sa.myutta, we know very little about the Venerable Va"ngiisa himself. The commentary (ThagA III 180-81) says he was a brahmin by birth and that, prior to meeting the Buddha, he made a living by tapping the skulls of deceased people and telling thereby where the owners had been reborn. The Buddha tested him by presenting him with several skulls, including that of an arahant. He was successful with his first few guesses, but when he came to the arahant's skull he was mystified, for an arahant is not reborn anywhere. He decided to enter the Order to discover the secret. He was ordained by the Elder Nigrodhakappa and later became an arahant. The commentary adds that after composing some verses in praise of the Buddha he gained a reputation as a poet.

According to the Apadaana (Ap II 497) Va"ngiisa was so called both because he was born in the country of Va"nga (modern Bengal) and also because he was a "master (iisa) of the spoken word (vacana)." In Buddhist Sanskrit works, such as the Mahaavastu, his name appears unambiguously as Vaagii"sa, "Lord of Speech." This is, of course, an assumed name and we do not know his actual personal name, as is common with individuals in this early Buddhist literature. "Lord of Speech," or perhaps better, "Master of Words," is an apt title for a poet.

The poems themselves give us the picture of a man of sensitive and artistic temperament who found it difficult to control his innate sensuality, manifest in his attachment to the opposite sex. He would have appreciated this passage from the A"nguttara Nikaaya: "They fetter him who has forgotten mindfulness, with gaze and smile, disordered dress, sweet blandishments ..." (A III 69). Furthermore, he was proud of his gift of poetic invention, but recognized this pride as a fault to be overcome (No. III). The sole reference in the poems to his life before he met the Buddha says only that he was obsessed by the poetic art (No. XIII). All of this tends to cast doubt on the authenticity of the bizarre tale of the skull-tapping brahmin. In the absence of any evidence to the contrary it is perhaps best to be noted as a curiosity. The importance of Va"ngiisa lies in his talent as a poet, a gift that must have been nurtured and developed over a period of time before the present poems were composed. We might also conclude that for someone able to compose verse spontaneously, as Va"ngiisa could, his output might well have been enormous. The few "religious" poems that have survived may be only a small fraction of an opus that is now lost forever.

After these preliminary remarks I ought to discuss some points arising from the poems themselves, but first I wish to make a general observation concerning the translation. My aim has been to convey the exact verbal meaning of the poems, and for this purpose I felt a literal prose translation would be more suitable than one in verse. Moreover, a verse translation could be positively misleading if it made a pretense of conveying the "feel" of the original poems; hence also the decision to reproduce the Paali text alongside the translation. In recent decades much scholarly work has been done in restoring and correcting the text of the Theragaathaa and I took the opportunity to incorporate the results of such research into this edited version of Va"ngiisa's verses. I leave the assessment of Va"ngiisa as a poet to those better qualified to judge. Paali meter and Indian poetics in general are difficult subjects of which the present translator has little knowledge.

My aim in both the text and the translation has been to adhere as closely as possible to what was originally intended by the poet and to the meaning understood by his contemporaries. With this in view the translation occasionally departs from the interpretations of particular words and phrases proposed by the (later) commentaries. For instance, in v. 1221 we find the term maggajina. The commentary interprets this as "a path-victor" or "conqueror (by means) of the path." In the Cunda Sutta (Sn 83-90) maggajina is the first of the four kinds of sama.na (ascetic) listed there. According to the commentary, "One who has overcome all defilements by means of the path is called a path-victor" (SnA I 162). However, as K.R. Norman has pointed out, the suffix -jina is unlikely to mean "conqueror" here, but was a dialect form from Skt. j~naa (to know). Hence it is probable that the commentary is mistaken and that the word originally meant "a path-knower." I have translated it in this way on the assumption that this was what Va"ngiisa himself intended by the expression.

Another innovation is my translation of the term puthujjana as "outsiders" (vv. 1217, 1271). This term is usually translated "ordinary persons," "worldlings," "manyfolk," etc., taking puthu in its sense of "numerous," "various" (= Vedic p.rthu). However, another meaning of puthu is "separate," "apart" (= Vedic p.rthak). Although this sense was deemed inappropriate for puthujjana by earlier translators and the PTS Dictionary, there is no real reason why it could not be so understood. The term refers to those people who are apart from, separate from, those in possession of the Dhamma of the noble ones (ariya), the Buddha and his disciples. The commentaries use puthujjana to refer to anyone and everyone who has not yet reached at least the path of stream-entry; thereafter they become noble disciples (ariya-saavakaa) and lose their designation as puthujjana. It is possible, however, that the term was originally used in a still more restricted sense, as referring to those incapable (abhabbo) of understanding the Dhamma, in contrast to the vi~n~nuu (wise, intelligent persons) who could do so when it was taught to them. Being apart from Dhamma, the puthujjana are established in what is not-Dhamma (adhamma or unrighteousness). They are unable to relate to the Buddha's Teaching because they are attached to and blinded by the many wrong and speculative views that are at variance with the Dhamma.

I decided to use "Fortunate One" as a translation of bhagavaa (bhagavantu). This seems to be closer to what was intended than the common rendering "Blessed One," which could give rise to the query, "Blessed by whom?" Again, "Lord" or even "Exalted One" is suggestive of dominance over others by a god-like being, which is surely not intended here. All such renderings have strong theistic overtones and so can be misleading. In Hinduism Bhagavaan is used as a term for God, and thus in that context "Lord," e.g. "Lord Krishna," is appropriate.

In translating Va"ngiisa's verses my guiding principle has been to leave as few words as possible untranslated. With this aim "monk" is used for bhikkhu and "god" for deva, words which I had left in the original Paali in an earlier translated work. I decided to retain Dhamma and Tathaagata, which are generally held to elude satisfactory rendering into English. But the occurrence of the word naaga in v. 1240 became an exception to the rule. One meaning of naaga is "bull elephant." Naaga is used as an epithet of the Buddha and his arahant disciples (see also v. 1279), and I had first thought to translate v. 1240 thus: "You are called an elephant, Fortunate One..." However, in English, instead of suggesting the intended feelings of reverence and awe, on initial encounter this might well be taken in a pejorative sense (of ungainliness, clumsiness); hence I decided to leave it untranslated. In Thag 691-704 various attributes of the Buddha are equated with parts of the elephant — feet, tusks, trunk, and so forth. The word naaga is also used for the serpent (cobra) and a class of semi-divine beings, depicted in art as half-human and half-snake; perhaps it originally referred to certain indigenous tribal peoples who worshipped the cobra. A naaga cult still exists in India today.

The subject matter of the poems is diverse. The first four poems show Va"ngiisa articulating his inner struggle to overcome various failings and elementary obstacles: sensual thoughts, doubt, attachment, views, pride and conceit, ways of thinking not to be entertained by one who has gone forth into homelessness. Foremost among these failings is sensual desire, which arises through unguarded contact with desirable sights, sounds, etc. In the first poem these objects of desire are conceived as devices of Maara, the Evil One, to overpower the mind and prevent progress upon the path. The fourth poem shows how arisen sensual desires can be extinguished and dispelled by appropriate attitudes and meditation practices. In this latter poem it may be questioned whether it is actually the Venerable AAnanda who is here addressed as "Gotama" or the Buddha himself. However, there is no problem if we understand that Va"ngiisa's query is being answered by the Buddha, whose word was memorized and transmitted through his disciple AAnanda.

The fifth poem is unique in being a verse summary of a sermon by the Buddha on truth as the "well-spoken word." This poem is also to be found in the Suttanipaata (Sn 451-54), and the fact that the three versions hardly differ may indicate that it enjoyed wide popularity. The sixth is the first of three sketches of the Buddha's disciples. Here it is Saariputta; the others are Ko.n.da~n~na (No. X) and Mahaamoggallaana (No. XI). This poem gives a rare glimpse of Saariputta as a skilled teacher and speaker able to captivate the monks with his pleasant voice.

"All are the Fortunate One's sons..." (v. 1237): that the Buddha's arahant disciples are regarded as his "sons" is a recurrent idea in the Theragaathaa and elsewhere. In the Itivuttaka the Buddha says: "Monks, ... you are my own legitimate sons, born from my mouth, born of Dhamma, fashioned by Dhamma, heirs of Dhamma, not heirs of material things" (It 100). In v. 1248 Va"ngiisa calls the Elder Ko.n.da~n~na "the Awakened One's heir" and Nigrodhakappa in v. 1279 "a true son of the naaga" (i.e. of the Buddha). The idea is extended in Thag 536, where Kaaludaayin actually addresses Suddhodana, the Buddha's natural father, as his grandfather! It is the tradition that the Buddha had a son named Raahula who became a monk. But the Venerable Raahula found in the Sutta Pi.taka, when called the Buddha's son, has no special claim to that position over and above that of any other disciple. In the suttas Raahula is portrayed as the ideal novice monk, eager for instruction in the Teaching.

Poems VIII and IX extol the Buddha and his Teaching and in v. 1241 the poet actually refers to himself by name. No. XII consists of just a single verse praising the Buddha. No. XIII is Va"ngiisa's declaration of a~n~naa, the attainment of final knowledge or arahantship. Up to this point the differences between the versions of the poems in the Theragaathaa and the Va"ngiisa-sa.myutta have been quite minor. But the verses of this poem are so different from those of the Va"ngiisa Sutta in the Sa.myutta Nikaaya that it should be regarded as a separate poem. It is therefore inserted here as Poem XIV for the sake of completeness and for purposes of comparison. Although the subject matter of both poems is the same, the Sa.myutta version is half the length of the other, with only five stanzas, in contrast to the ten of the Theragaathaa version. Circumstantial evidence suggests the shorter poem was the original, which was later expanded, either by Va"ngiisa himself or someone else, to create the longer poem.

The Va"ngiisa Sutta concludes the Sa.myutta collection and is in keeping with what has gone before, in as much as none of the poems exceed five stanzas in length. Also the Va"ngiisa-sa.myutta is found in the first and probably the most ancient division of the Sa.myutta Nikaaya, the Sagaathaavagga. In contrast, the longer poem comes almost at the end of the Theragaathaa and is followed by yet one more, the final and inordinately long Nigrodhakappa poem of seventeen stanzas, which concludes this entire collection. It is known that the Theragaathaa grew over a long period of time and received additional material even up to the time of Emperor Asoka. It is therefore more than likely that these final two poems came into existence after the Sa.myutta anthology was finalized.

How the longer poem was constructed from the shorter is best seen by analyzing each of the Paali gaathaa (stanzas) into their constituent four paada (metrical units). Thus the first three stanzas of the shorter poem were expanded to five by the insertion of extra paada. All the original paada were retained, but not in the same order. Stanzas six and seven of the longer poem, referring to the Four Noble Truths, have nothing corresponding to them in the shorter poem and are therefore new material. Three paada from the last two stanzas of the shorter poem were discarded (fourth stanza, paada 3; fifth stanza, paada 1 and 2), but the rest utilized to make the final three stanzas of the longer poem.

The final poem in this anthology (No. XV), as already indicated, is missing from the Sa.myutta collection. However, a corresponding version is found at Sn 343-58, called there variously the Va"ngiisa Sutta, Kappa Sutta, or Nigrodhakappa Sutta. Apart from its much greater length, this poem differs from the preceding poems in a number of other ways. The fact that it directly addresses the Buddha and is in a more ornate, even extravagant style sets it apart from the simpler, unvarnished verse of the earlier poems. Expressions such as that in v. 1266 referring to "the thousand-eyed Sakka," are characteristic of a late period of Paali composition. And indeed, the comparison of the Buddha's voice to the honking of a goose (v. 1270) is a device suggestive of the highly ornate poetry of a much later age. That the elder is variously called Nigrodhakappa, Kappa, Kappiya, Kappaayana, is, of course, to conform to the requirements of the meter.

Although the Nigrodhakappa poem is ostensibly a request to the Buddha for information about the attainment of the deceased elder, Va"ngiisa's teacher, the manner and persistence of the "urge to speak Dhamma" and other such expressions point to a deeper meaning. An underlying idea is that the Buddha alone, when proclaiming the Dhamma, is capable of producing a profound effect upon his hearers (the literal meaning of saavaka). He is able to establish them on the noble path of the sotaapanna, etc., at least those who are ready to receive it, by the Dhamma-words issuing forth through his speech and apparently without any prior practice on the part of the recipients. This is a special gift exercised by the Buddha alone and not by his disciples. Although this idea is not taken up to any extent by the Theravaada, which stresses the human side of the Buddha, it was a factor affecting other Indian schools of Buddhism and the so-called Mahaayaana, which tended to emphasize the Buddha's transcendental nature.

Both the Theragaathaa and the first volume of the Sa.myutta Nikaaya, where these verses are found, were first translated by Mrs. Rhys Davids under the respective titles Psalms of the Brethren (PTS 1913) and Kindred Sayings I (PTS 1917). The Theragaathaa was re-translated more recently by K.R. Norman as Elders' Verses I (PTS 1969). The present translator has relied heavily upon Norman's erudite translation and his copious notes to the original Paali text.

I. Departed (Nikkhanta.m)

As a new monk, recently gone forth, lustful passion was aroused in the Venerable Va"ngiisa when he saw a number of women adorned in all their finery who had come to visit the monastery. He dispelled this lust, recording the experience in these verses:

1209. nikkhanta.m vata ma.m santa.m agaarasmaanagaariya.m
vitakkaa upadhaavanti pagabbhaa ka.nhato ime.

1210. uggaputtaa mahissaasaa sikkhitaa da.lhadhammino
samantaa parikireyyu.m sahassa.m apalaayina.m.

1211. sace pi ettakaa bhiyyo aagamissanti itthiyo
n'eva ma.m byaadhayissanti dhamme svamhi pati.t.thito.

1212. sakkhi.m hi me suta.m eta.m buddhassaadiccabandhuno
nibbaanagamana.m magga.m tattha me nirato mano.

1213. eva~n ce ma.m viharanta.m paapima upagacchasi
tathaa maccu karissaami na me magga.m udikkhasi.

II. Disliking (Arati.m)

While staying at Alavi the Venerable Va"ngiisa's teacher, the Elder Nigrodhakappa, after returning from the alms round, remained in seclusion for long periods. On one occasion, when discontent arose in the mind of the Venerable Va"ngiisa and his mind was tormented by lust, he composed these verses to reprove himself and to dispel the conflicting emotions that harassed him:

1214. arati.m rati~n ca pahaaya sabbaso gehasita~n ca vitakka.m
vanatha.m na kareyya kuhi~nci nibbanathaavanatho
sa hi bhikkhu.

1215. yam idha pathavi~n ca vehaasa.m ruupagata.m jagatogadha.m ki~nci
parijiyyati sabbam anicca.m eva.m samecca caranti mutattaa.

1216. upadhiisu janaa gadhitaase di.t.thasute pa.tighe ca mute ca
ettha vinodaya chandam anejo yo h'ettha na lippati ta.m munim aahu.

1217. atha sa.t.thisitaa savitakkaa puthujjanataaya adhammanivi.t.thaa
na ca vaggagat'assa kuhi~nci no pana du.t.thullagaahii sa bhikkhu.

1218. dabbo cirarattasamaahito akuhako nipako apihaalu
santa.m padam ajjhagamaa muni pa.ticcaparinibbuto ka"nkhati kaala.m.

III. Despising the Well-behaved (Pesalaa-atima~n~nanaa)

On another occasion, full of conceit because of his gift for composing extemporaneous verse, the Venerable Va"ngiisa caught himself despising the other monks who were not so gifted. Repenting these thoughts, he composed the following poem:

1219. maana.m pajahassu Gotama maanapatha~n ca jahassu asesa.m
maanapathasmi.m samucchito vippa.tisaar'ahuvaa ciraratta.m.

1220. makkhena makkhitaa pajaa maanahataa niraya.m <pa>patanti
socanti janaa ciraratta.m maanahataa niraya.m upapannaa.

1221. na hi socati bhikkhu kadaaci maggajino sammaapa.tipanno
kitti~n ca sukha~n c'anubhoti dhammadaso'ti tam aahu tathatta.m.

1222. tasmaa akhilo'dha padhaanavaa niivara.naani pahaaya visuddho
maana~n ca pahaaya asesa.m vijjaay'antakaro samitaavii.

IV. AAnanda

Once, soon after his ordination, Va"ngiisa accompanied the Venerable AAnanda on a visit to the house of one of the king's ministers. A number of women of the household came and paid reverence to the elder, asked questions, and listened to his preaching. But at the sight of these women sensual desire was aroused in Venerable Va"ngiisa, which he immediately confessed to the Venerable AAnanda. He recorded the incident in this poem:12

1223. kaamaraagena .dayhaami citta.m me pari.dayhati
saadhu nibbaapana.m bruuhi anukampaaya Gotama.

1224. sa~n~naaya vipariyesaa cittan te pari.dayhati
nimitta.m parivajjehi subha.m raaguupasa.mhita.m. (A)

1224. sa"nkhaare parato passa dukkhato maa ca attato
nibbaapehi mahaaraaga.m maa .dayhittha punappuna.m. (B)

1225. asubhaaya citta.m bhaavehi ekagga.m susamaahita.m
sati kaayagataa ty atthu nibbidaabahulo bhava.

1226. animitta~n ca bhaavehi maanaanusayam ujjaha
tato maanaabhisamayaa upasanto carissasi.

V. Well-spoken (Subhaasitaa)

These verses came to the Venerable Va"ngiisa while he was listening to a talk delivered by the Buddha on the "well-spoken word." Having received permission from the Teacher, he then recited this poem in his presence:18

1227. tam eva vaaca.m bhaaseyya yaay'attaana.m na taapaye
pare ca na vihi.mseyya saa ve vaacaa subhaasitaa.

1228. piyavaacam eva bhaaseyya yaa vaacaa pa.tinanditaa
ya.m anaadaaya paapaani paresa.m bhaasate piya.m.

1229. sacca.m ve amataa vaacaa esa dhammo sanantano
sacce atthe ca dhamme ca aahu santo pati.t.thitaa.

1230. ya.m buddho bhaasatii vaaca.m khema.m nibbaanapattiyaa
dukkhass'antakiriyaaya sa ve vaacaanam uttamaa.

VI. Saariputta

Verses spoken in praise of the Venerable Saariputta:

1231. gambhiirapa~n~no medhaavii maggaamaggassa kovido
Saariputto mahaapa~n~no dhamma.m deseti bhikkhuna.m.

1232. sa.mkhittena pi deseti vitthaarena pi bhaasati
saalikaayeva nigghoso pa.tibhaana.m udiyyati.

1233. tassa ta.m desayantassa su.nantaa madhura.m gira.m
sarena rajaniiyena savaniiyena vaggunaa
udaggacittaa muditaa sota.m odhenti bhikkhavo.

VII. The Invitation Ceremony (Pavaara.naa)

Verses spoken in praise of the Buddha on an occasion of the Invitation Ceremony:22

1234. ajja pannarase visuddhiyaa bhikkhuu pa~ncasataa samaagataa
sa.myojanabandhanacchidaa aniighaa khii.napunabbhavaa isii.

1235. cakkavattii yathaa raajaa amaccaparivaarito
samantaa anupariyeti saagaranta.m mahi.m ima.m

1236. eva.m vijitasa.mgaama.m satthavaaha.m anuttara.m
saavakaa payirupaasanti tevijjaa maccuhaayino.

1237. sabbe bhagavato puttaa palaap'ettha na vijjati
ta.nhaasallassa hantaara.m vande aadiccabandhuna.m.

VIII. More than a Thousand (Parosahassa.m)

A poem composed on the occasion of a Dhamma-talk concerning nibbaana, delivered by the Buddha to a large company of monks:

1238. parosahassa.m bhikkhuuna.m sugata.m payirupaasati
desenta.m viraja.m dhamma.m nibbaana.m akutobhaya.m.

1239. su.nanti dhamma.m vimala.m sammaasambuddhadesita.m
sobhati vata sambuddho bhikkhusa"nghapurakkhato.

1240. naaganaamo'si bhagavaa isiina.m isisattamo
mahaamegho va hutvaana saavake abhivassasi.

1241. divaavihaaraa nikkhamma satthudassanakamyataa
saavako te mahaaviira paade vandati Va"ngiso.

IX. Overcoming (Abhibhuyya)

Further verses composed by the Venerable Va"ngiisa when the Buddha, after hearing the previous poem, invited him to speak more extemporaneous verses:26

1242. ummaggapatha.m Maarassa abhibhuyya carati pabhijja khilaani
ta.m passatha bandhanamu~nca.m asita.m va bhaagaso pavibhajja.

1243. oghassa hi nitthara.nattha.m anekavihita.m <su->magga.m akkhaasi
tasmi~n ca amate akkhaate dhammadasaa .thitaa asa.mhiiraa.

1244. pajjotakaro ativijjha sabba.t.thitiinam atikkamam addaa
~natvaa ca sacchikatvaa ca agga.m so desayi das'a.d.dhaana.m.

1245. eva.m sudesite dhamme ko pamaado vijaanata.m dhamma.m
tasmaa <ti ha> tassa bhagavato saasane appamatto sadaa namassam anusikkhe.

X. Ko.n.da~n~na

Verses composed on an occasion when the Elder A~n~naata Ko.n.da~n~na came to pay his respects to the Teacher:

1246. buddhaanubuddho yo thero Ko.n.da~n~no tibbanikkamo
laabhii sukhavihaaraana.m vivekaana.m abhi.nhaso.

1247. ya.m saavakena pattabba.m satthusaasanakaarinaa
sabb'assa ta.m anuppatta.m appamattassa sikkhato.

1248. mahaanubhaavo tevijjo cetopariyakovido
Ko.n.da~n~no buddhadaayaado paade vandati satthuno.

XI. Moggallaana

Verses in praise of the Elder Mahaamoggallaana:

1249. nagassa passe aasiina.m muni.m dukkhassa paaragu.m
saavakaa pariyupaasanti tevijjaa maccuhaayino.

1250. cetasaa anupariyeti Moggallaano mahiddhiko
citta.m nesa.m samanvesa.m vippamutta.m niruupadhi.m.

1251. eva.m sabba"ngasampanna.m muni.m dukkhassa paaragu.m
anekaakaarasampanna.m payirupaasanti Gotamam.

XII. Gaggaraa

Once when the Buddha was seated by the Gaggaraa Lotus-pond near the town of Campaa, surrounded by a large assembly, the Venerable Va"ngiisa composed this verse in his praise:

1252. cando yathaa vigatavalaahake nabhe virocati viitamalo va bhaanumaa
evam pi A"ngiirasa tva.m mahaamuni atirocasii yasasaa sabbaloka.m.

XIII. Va"ngiisa (1)

This, the Venerable Va"ngiisa's "autobiographical" poem, was composed shortly after he attained arahantship:

1253. kaaveyyamattaa vicarimha pubbe gaamaa gaama.m puraa pura.m
ath' addasaama sambuddha.m sabbadhammaana paaragu.m.

1254. so me dhammam adesesi muni dukkhassa paaraguu
dhamma.m sutvaa pasiidimha saddhaa no udapajjatha.

1255. tassaaha.m vacana.m sutvaa khandhe aayatanaani ca
dhaatuyo ca viditvaana pabbaji.m anagaariya.m.

1256. bahuuna.m vata atthaaya uppajjanti tathaagataa
itthiina.m purisaana~n ca ye te saasanakaarakaa.

1257. tesa.m kho vata atthaaya bodhi.m ajjhagamaa muni
bhikkhuuna.m bhikkhuniina~n ca ye niyaamagataddasaa.

1258. sudesitaa cakkhumataa buddhenaadiccabandhunaa
cattaari ariyasaccaani anukampaaya paa.nina.m.

1259. dukkha.m dukkhasamuppaada.m dukkhassa ca atikkama.m
ariya~n c'a.t.tha"ngika.m magga.m dukkhuupasamagaamina.m.

1260. evam ete tathaa vuttaa di.t.thaa me te yathaatathaa
sadattho me anuppatto kata.m buddhassa saasana.m.

1261. svaagata.m vata me aasi mama buddhassa santike
sa.mvibhattesu dhammesu ya.m se.t.tha.m tad upaagami.m.

1262. abhi~n~naapaaramippatto sotadhaatuvisodhito
tevijjo iddhippatto'mhi cetopariyakovido.

XIV. Va"ngiisa (2)

The shorter version of the previous poem (at S I 196):

1. kaaveyyamattaa vicarimha pubbe gaamaa gaama.m puraa pura.m
ath' addasaama sambuddha.m saddhaa no udapajjatha.

2. so me dhammam adesesi khandhe aayataanaani dhaatuyo ca
tassaaha.m dhamma.m sutvaana pabbaji.m anagaariya.m.

3. bahunnam vata atthaaya bodhim ajjhagamaa muni
bhikkhuuna.m bhikkhuniina~n ca ye niyaamagataddasaa.

4. svaagata.m vata me aasi mama buddhassa santike
tisso vijjaa anuppattaa kata.m buddhassa saasana.m.

5. pubbenivaasa.m jaanaami dibbacakkhu.m visodhita.m
tevijjo iddhippatto'mhi cetopariyaayakovido.

XV. Nigrodhakappa

In this, the longest of the poems, the Venerable Va"ngiisa asks the Buddha whether his deceased preceptor, the Elder Nigrodhakappa, had attained final nibbaana. This provides an opportunity for Va"ngiisa to sing the praises of the Buddha himself:

1263. pucchaami satthaaram anomapa~n~na.m
di.t.th'eva dhamme yo vicikicchaana.m chettaa
Aggaa.lave kaalam akaasi bhikkhu
~naato yasassii abhinibbutatto.

1264. Nigrodhakappo iti tassa naama.m
tayaa kata.m bhagavaa braahma.nassa
so ta.m namassam acari mutyapekho
aaraddhaviriyo da.lhadhammadassii.

1265. ta.m saavaka.m Sakka mayam pi sabbe
a~n~naatum icchaama samantacakkhu
samava.t.thitaa no savanaaya sotaa
tuva.m nu satthaa tvam anuttaro'si.

1266. chind'eva no vicikiccha.m bruuhi m'eta.m
parinibbuta.m vedaya bhuuripa~n~na
majjh'eva no bhaasa samantacakkhu
Sakko va devaana sahassanetto.

1267. ye keci ganthaa idha mohamaggaa
a~n~naa.napakkhaa vicikiccha.t.thaanaa
tathaagata.m patvaa na te bhavanti
cakkhu.m hi eta.m parama.m naraana.m.

1268. no ce hi jaatu puriso kilese
vaato yathaa abbhaghana.m vihaane
tamo'v'assa nivuto sabbaloko
na jotimanto pi naraa tapeyyu.m.

1269. dhiiraa ca pajjotakaraa bhavanti
ta.m ta.m aha.m dhiira tath'eva ma~n~ne
vipassina.m jaanam upaagamimha
parisaasu no aavikarohi Kappa.m.

1270. khippa.m gira.m eraya vaggu vaggu.m
ha.mso va paggayha sanika.m nikuuja
bindussarena suvikappitena
sabb'eva te ujjugataa su.noma.

1271. pahiinajaatimara.na.m asesa.m
niggayha dhona.m vadessaami dhamma.m
na kaamakaaro hi puthujjanaana.m
sa.mkheyyakaaro'va tathaagataana.m.

1272. sampannaveyyaakara.na.m taveda.m
samujjupa~n~nassa samuggahiita.m
ayam a~njali pacchimo suppa.naamito
maa mohayi jaanam anomapa~n~na.

1273. parovara.m ariyadhamma.m viditvaa
maa mohayi jaanam anomaviriya
vaari.m yathaa ghammanighammatatto
vaacaabhika"nkhaami suta.m pavassa.

1274. yadatthiya.m brahmacariya.m acaari
Kappaayano kacci 'ssa ta.m amogha.m
nibbaayi so aadu saupaadiseso
yathaa vimutto ahu ta.m su.noma.

1275. acchecchi ta.nha.m idha naamaruupe
ta.nhaaya sota.m diigharattaanusayita.m
ataari jaatimara.na.m asesa.m
icc abravii bhagavaa pa~ncase.t.tho.

1276. esa sutvaa pasiidaami vaco te isisattama
amogha.m kira me pu.t.tha.m na ma.m va~ncesi braahma.no.

1277. yathaavaadii tathaakaarii ahuu buddhassa saavako
acchecchi Maccuno jaala.m tata.m maayaavino da.lha.m.

1278. addasa bhagavaa aadi.m upaadaanassa Kappiyo
accagaa vata Kappaayano maccudheyya.m suduttara.m.

1279. ta.m devadeva.m vandaami putta.m te dvipaduttama
anujaata.m mahaaviira.m naaga.m naagassa orasa.m.

Appendices

I. Non-Canonical Verses of Va"ngiisa

The Theragaathaa, with the Va"ngiisa-sa.myutta and the Suttanipaata, does not exhaust the verses ascribed to the Venerable Va"ngiisa. Another pair of verses is attributed to him in the post-canonical Milindapa~nha, "The Questions of King Milinda" (p.390):

Yathaa pi suriyo udayanto ruupa.m dasseti paa.nina.m
suci~n ca asuci~n caapi kalyaa.na~n caapi paapaka.m
tathaa bhikkhu dhammadharo avijjaapihita.m jana.m
patha.m dasseti vividha.m aadicco v'udaya.m yathaa ti.

Just as the sun rising in the sky shows shapes to creatures,
What is pure and what is impure, what is good and bad,
So the monk knowing Dhamma shows the path in various ways
To people cloaked in ignorance, as does the rising sun.

This work also contains verses ascribed to other elders, such as Saariputta and Anuruddha, that are not to be found elsewhere. The Milindapa~nha records a dialogue between the Elder Naagasena and King Milinda, the Indic form of the Greek name Menander. He is identified with a Greco-Bactrian king of the 2nd century B.C. who exercised rule in Northwest India. The work was probably composed originally in Prakrit or Sanskrit — even Greek has been suggested — and was subsequently translated into Paali. It is therefore possible that these verses came from the Tipi.taka of another Buddhist school, possibly the Sarvaastivaada.

There are also some verses extolling the virtues of the Buddha attributed to Va"ngiisa (or Vaagii"sa) in the Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit work the Mahaavastu, which formed part of the Vinaya of the Lokuttaravaadin school.41 Among these is the following (p.130):

As the glorious sun shines in the sky, and the full moon when the sky is clear, so dost thou, O Man, firm in concentration, shine forth like burnished gold.

This is reminiscent of Thag 1252. Then we find (p.131):

Since through thine own understanding, thou has apprehended the truth and knowledge unheard of before, O Foremost Man, who shinest like thousand-eyed Maghavan,42 pray give utterance to it.

This may be compared with Thag 1266. In the Mahaavastu itself the words, "pray give utterance to it," have no obvious connection with what has gone before or what follows, but they do have a significance in the Theragaathaa context, where the poet questions the Buddha about the fate of Nigrodhakappa.

Another reference to Va"ngiisa is found in the Mahaavastu when the Buddha addresses him thus, "Let there come to your mind, Vaagii"sa, the recollection of a former association of yours with the Tathaagata." Vaagii"sa then proceeds to tell in verse a story of a former life when the bodhisattva or Buddha-to-be, as a wise brahmin, was his teacher (pp.222f.).

II. Va"ngiisa and the Vimaanavatthu

The Vimaanavatthu of the Khuddaka Nikaaya is a collection of 83 stories in verse describing the vimaana — a kind of personal heavenly mansion — inhabited by beings reborn as gods or goddesses (devataa) as a reward for meritorious deeds performed by them as human beings. All the stories follow a similar pattern. They begin with an introductory verse (or verses) in which the god or goddess is asked about the cause for his or her rebirth within that particular mansion. The deva thereupon relates his or her previous good deeds.

Usually the Venerable Mahaamoggallaana is the questioner, but occasionally another elder plays this role. Generally, it is only in the commentary that the questioner is named and the background supplied; otherwise the verses are anonymous. In four stories Va"ngiisa is identified as the interlocutor: No. 16 (Sirimaavimaana), No. 35 (Sesavatiivimaana), No. 41 (Naagavimaana), and No. 61 (another Naagavimaana). In No. 37 (Visaalakkhiivimaana) it is Sakka the ruler of the gods who questions the goddess. However, at the conclusion the commentary states that Sakka related it to Va"ngiisa, who in turn told it to the compilers of the Canon.

We cannot be certain whether the ascription of these verses to Va"ngiisa is authentic. There is nothing notable in the verses of the two Naaga mansion stories that can link them to the poet. If Va"ngiisa did recite the verses of No. 37, although allegedly receiving them from Sakka, could they be regarded as his own composition? The introductory verses of Sesavatii are, interestingly enough, unique in the Vimaanavatthu as constituting a seven-verse descriptive poem in its own right. There is none other comparable to it in length, and as it is ascribed to Va"ngiisa, a translation of it is appended here. However, it is the Sirimaa poem that is the most interesting of all the mansion stories, for it has a doctrinal content lacking elsewhere in the work. In it Sirimaa describes how she became a disciple of the Buddha and a sotaapanna, one who has entered the stream leading to final emancipation. A translation of it is therefore presented as possibly a poetical work of Va"ngiisa.

Sesavatii's Mansion

Sirimaa's Mansion

Key to Abbreviations in Notes

(All references are to the PTS editions of Paali texts unless indicated otherwise.)

Notes to the Paali Text

Notes to the Translation