The Discourse about Kaccana

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 āyasmā Mahākaccāno
Then at that time venerable Mahākaccāna

Bhagavato avidūre nisinno hoti,
was sitting not far away from the Gracious One,

pallaṅkaṁ ābhujitvā, ujuṁ kāyaṁ paṇidhāya,
after folding his legs crosswise, and setting his body straight,

kāyagatāya satiyā ajjhattaṁ sūpaṭṭhitāya.
and was attending well to mindfulness related to his own body.

Addasā kho Bhagavā āyasmantaṁ Mahākaccānaṁ avidūre nisinnaṁ,
The Gracious One saw venerable Mahākaccāna was sitting not far away,

pallaṅkaṁ ābhujitvā, ujuṁ kāyaṁ paṇidhāya,
after folding his legs crosswise, and setting his body straight,

kāyagatāya satiyā ajjhattaṁ sūpaṭṭhitāya.
and was attending well to mindfulness related to his own body.

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:

“Yassa siyā sabbadā sati
^o “For he who will be always and continually

Satataṁ kāyagatā upaṭṭhitā,
Attending to mindfulness relating to the body, (thinking):

‘No cassa, The Commentary in both explanations offered here, seems to be taking assa as referring to the past, but this is not really acceptable, as assa must be an optative, and therefore relates to a possible future, in parallel to the next line. cf. Udānavarga (15-4) which reads: No ca syān no ca me syān.⁰¹ no ca me siyā,
‘There might not be, and there might not be for me,

Na bhavissati na, ca me bhavissati’,
There will not be, and there will not be for me’,

Anupubbavihārī tattha so
He who dwells in those gradual (stages) in that place

Kāleneva tare visattikan”-ti. The Commentary reads ce in cassa ; but the natural syntax of the line suggests that the word is the conjunctive ca, not ce ; cf. the Udānavarga line quoted in the previous note.⁰²
Can surely, at the right time, cross over clinging.”