Mucalindavaggo
2-5: Upāsakasuttaṁ (15)
The Discourse about the Lay Follower
Evaṁ me sutaṁ:
Thus I heard:
ekaṁ samayaṁ Bhagavā Sāvatthiyaṁ viharati,
at one time the Gracious One was dwelling near Sāvatthī,
Jetavane Anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme.
in Jeta's Wood, at Anāthapiṇḍika's monastery.
Tena kho pana samayena aññataro Icchānaṅgalako upāsako
Then at that time a certain lay follower from Icchānaṅgala
Sāvatthiṁ anuppatto hoti kenacid-eva karaṇīyena.
had arrived at Sāvatthī with some business or other.
Atha kho so upāsako Sāvatthiyaṁ taṁ karaṇīyaṁ tīretvā,
Then that lay follower, having concluded that business in Sāvatthī,
yena Bhagavā tenupasaṅkami,
went to the Gracious One,
upasaṅkamitvā Bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā, ekamantaṁ nisīdi.
and after going and worshipping the Gracious One, he sat down on one side.
Ekamantaṁ nisinnaṁ kho taṁ upāsakaṁ Bhagavā etad-avoca:
While sat on one side the Gracious One said this to that lay follower:
“Cirassaṁ kho tvaṁ upāsakaṁ imaṁ pariyāyam-akāsi,
“At long last, lay follower, you have made arrangements,
yadidaṁ idhāgamanāyā” ti.
so to say, for coming here.”
“Cirapaṭikāhaṁ bhante Bhagavantaṁ dassanāya upasaṅkamitukāmo,
“For a long time, reverend Sir, I have desired to come to see the Gracious One,
api cāhaṁ kehici kehici - ci = the indefinite particle, together with the repetition of the word, gives distributive sense.01 kiccakaraṇīyehi vyāvaṭo,
but I have been engaged with some sort of duty and business or another,
evāhaṁ nāsakkhiṁ Bhagavantaṁ dassanāya upasaṅkamitun”-ti. Notice that the true infinitive here (upasaṅkamituṁ) is used in conjunction with the infinitive-like dative (dassanāya).02
and I have thus been unable to come to see the Gracious One.”
Atha kho Bhagavā, etam-atthaṁ viditvā,
Then the Gracious One, having understood the significance of it,
tāyaṁ velāyaṁ imaṁ udānaṁ udānesi:
on that occasion uttered this exalted utterance:
“Sukhaṁ vata tassa na hoti kiñci,
“For he who has nothing there is happiness indeed,
Saṅkhātadhammassa bahussutassa,
For the one who has discerned the Dhamma, for the learned,
Sakiñcanaṁ Sakiñcanaṁ, one who has something, is regularly given ethical sense in the Commentaries (beginning with Niddesa), as meaning one who has some defilement. UdA: rāgādikiñcanānaṁ āmisakiñcanānañca atthitāya sakiñcanaṁ.03 passa vihaññamānaṁ,
See how one who has something is troubled,
Jano janasmiṁ paṭibaddharūpo” - rūpo here gives abstract sense to the noun, but for concinnity it seems we must take rūpo as referring to the individual (i.e. the one who has something).04 ti.
He is a person who is in a state of bondage in regard to (other) people.”