In the present one man falls ill and vows if he ever recovers he will become a monk, which he did, and he soon attained Arahatship. The Buddha tells a similar story from the past in which a man recovering from illness had become an ascetic.

1. Phuṭṭhassa me aññatarena byādhinā,
Rogena bāḷhaṁ dukhitassa ruppato,
Parisussati khippam-idaṁ kaḷevaraṁ,
Pupphaṁ yathā paṁsuni ātape kataṁ.

For me who was touched by a certain illness, oppressed with suffering by a strong disease, this corpse of a body Kaḷevara means both a body and a corpse. quickly shrivels up, like a flower that’s made to dry in the dust.

2. Ajaññaṁ jaññasaṅkhātaṁ, asuciṁ sucisammataṁ,
Nānākuṇapaparipūraṁ There is one extra syllable in the opening, with no easy way to correct it. jaññarūpaṁ apassato.

The lovely reckoned unlovely, the impure is thought to be pure, not seeing this lovely form is full of many disgusting things.

3. Dhi-r-atthumaṁ āturaṁ pūtikāyaṁ,
Jegucchiyaṁ assuciṁ byādhidhammaṁ,
Yatthappamattā adhimucchitā pajā,
Hāpenti maggaṁ sugatūpapattiyā ti.

Cursed be this unhealthy, putrid body, revolting, impure, whose nature is illness, when people are heedless, infatuated, they neglect the path to rebirth in a good state.

In this connection, by a certain illness, by jaundice, by one amongst the ninety-eight diseases. A full list of these is hard to give here, but see Snp. 313: in the past there were three diseases: desire, hunger and old age, but through the killing of animals these became ninety-eight.

By a strong disease means because it had the character of hurting it received this name. This seems to be trying to connect roga (disease) with rujjana (hurting), which is far-fetched!

Oppressed means being injured, tormented.

Made to dry in the dust, like an exquisite flower that might be made to dry, lying in the hot sands, so it shrivels up, this is the meaning.

The lovely reckoned unlovely, the repulsive, unpleasant, to fools goes by the name of pleasant.

Full of various disgusting things, full with the thirty-two disgusting things beginning with head hairs.

Not seeing this lovely form, for the blind and foolish worldling not seeing the reality, he understands it is pleasant, good in form good in form and has real use, but from the eye there is rheum and so forth, accordingly, even though its foul state is known, it does not help fools.

Unhealthy means always sick.

Infatuated means being greatly infatuated by defilements, they are infatuated.

People means blind and foolish worldlings.

They neglect the path to rebirth in a good state, being attached, attaching to this putrid body, fulfilling the path to the downfall, they neglect the path to rebirth in a good state, which is divided into Devas and men.

 

last updated: November 2022