Dhamma Topics and their Analysis

Buddha Topics



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33. Dvātiṁsa Mahāpuriṣalakkhaṇāni
33. The Thirty-Two Marks of a Great Man

from Brahmāyusuttaṁ, MN 91

Samannāgato ca so bhavaṁ Gotamo dvattiṁsamahāpurisalakkhaṇehi:
The reverend Gotama is endowed with the thirty-two marks of a great man:

1. Suppatiṭṭhitapādo,
1. He has well placed feet,

idam-pi tassa bhoto Gotamassa mahāpurisassa mahāpurisalakkhaṇaṁ bhavati,
this is, for the great man, the venerable Gotama, a mark of a great man,

2. heṭṭhā ... pādatalesu cakkāni jātāni,
2. under the soles of his feet there are wheels,

sahassārāni sanemikāni sanābhikāni sabbākāraparipūrāni...
with a thousand rims and naves, complete in every way...

3. āyatapaṇhi...
3. the heels are long and deep...

4. dīghaṅguli...
4. the fingers are long...

5. mudutalunahatthapādo...
5. the hands and feet are soft and tender…

6. jālahatthapādo...
6. the hands and feet are webbed...

7. ussaṅkhapādo...
7. the ankles are high...

8. eṇijaṅgho...
8. the calves are like an antelope’s...

9. ṭhitako ... anonamanto ubhohi pāṇitalehi jaṇṇukāni parimasati parimajjati...
9. when he stands ... without bending he can rub and stroke both his knees with his hands...

10. kosohitavatthaguyho...
10. what is covered by a cloth is ensheathed...

11. suvaṇṇavaṇṇo ... kañcanasannibhattaco...
11. he is golden in colour, has skin like gold...

12. sukhumacchavi ... sukhumattā chaviyā rajojallaṁ kāye na upalimpati...
12. he has fine skin, and because of the fine skin, dust and dirt to not adhere to him...

13. ekekalomo ... ekekāni lomāni lomakūpesu jātāni...
13. the body-hairs arise singly, each body hair appearing in its own hair follicle...

14. uddhaggalomo ... uddhaggāni lomāni jātāni nīlāni,
14. the hair bristles, his bristling hair is black,

añjanavaṇṇāni kuṇḍalāvaṭṭāni dakkhiṇāvaṭṭakajātāni...
the colour of collyrium, turning in curls, turning to the right...

15. brahmujugatto...
15. the limbs are straight like brahmā’s...

16. sattussado...
16. there are seven prominent marks...

17. sīhapubbaddhakāyo...
17. the torso is like a lion’s…

18. citantaraṁso...
18. between the shoulders it is firm...

19. nigrodhaparimaṇḍalo,
19. the (body) is well-proportioned like a banyan tree,

yāvatakvassa kāyo tāvatakvassa byāmo,
the extent of the body equals the extent of the arm span,

yāvatakvassa byāmo tāvatakvassa kāyo...
the extent of the arm span equals the extent of the body...

20. samavaṭṭakkhandho...
20. the upper back is even all round,

21. rasaggasaggī...
21. the taste buds are supremely sensitive...

22. sīhahanu...
22. the jaw is like a lion’s...

23. cattālīsadanto...
23. there are forty teeth...

24. samadanto...
24. the teeth are even...

25. aviraḷadanto...
25. the teeth are without gaps...

26. susukkadāṭho...
26. the teeth are very white...

27. pahūtajivho...
27. the tongue is very large...

28. brahmassaro ... karavikabhāṇī...
28. the voice is like brahmā’s or like the sound of the cuckoo...

29. abhinīlanetto...
29. the eyes are very dark...

30. gopakhumo...
30. the eyelashes are like a cow’s...

31. uṇṇā ... bhamukantare jātā odātā mudutūlasannibhā...
31. the tuft of hair between the eyebrows on his forehead is very white like cotton...

32. uṇhīsasīso,
32. there is a protuberance on the head,

idam-pi tassa bhoto Gotamassa mahāpurisassa mahāpurisalakkhaṇaṁ bhavati.
this is, for the great man, the venerable Gotama, a mark of a great man.