SN11:7 One Should Not Transgress
- DG BB TBW © Translated from the Pali by Bhikkhu Bodhi. (More copyright information)
1At Sāvatthī. "Bhikkhus, once in the past, when Sakka, lord of the devas, was alone in seclusion, the following reflection arose in his mind: ‘Though someone may be my sworn enemy, I should not transgress even against him.’
"Then, bhikkhus, Vepacitti, lord of the asuras, having known with his own mind the reflection in Sakka's mind, approached Sakka, lord of the devas. Sakka saw Vepacitti coming in the distance and said to him: ‘Stop, Vepacitti, you’re caught!’ [n.622] Spk: As soon as Sakka said this, Vepacitti became as if bound by bonds on his four limbs and neck. -
2‘Dear sir, do not abandon the idea that just occurred to you.’ [n.623] I read with Be: tadeva tvaṁ ma pajahasi. Ee1 reads pahasi, which gives the same sense, but Se and Ee2 have marisa pahasi, which yields the opposite meaning.
3‘Swear, Vepacitti, that you won’t transgress against me.’
Vepacitti:
4v.893 ‘"Whatever evil comes to a liar,
Whatever evil to a reviler of noble ones,
Whatever evil to a betrayer of friends,
Whatever evil to one without gratitude:
That same evil touches the one
Who transgresses against you, Suja's husband.’"
[n.624] Spk: The verse refers to four great evils (mahapapani) of the present aeon: (i) "the evil that comes to a liar": the evil of the king of Ceti, the first liar of the present aeon (see the Cetiya Jataka, Ja No. 422); (ii) "to a reviler of noble ones": evil like that of Kokalika (see SN6.10); (iii) "to a betrayer of friends": evil like that of the betrayer of the Great Being in the Mahakapi Jataka (Ja No. 516); (iv) "to one without gratitude": the evil of an ingrate like Devadatta.
In pāda e, I read phusati with Se and Ee1 & 2, as against phusatu in Be. "Suja's husband" (Sujampati) is a name for Sakka; see SN11.12 and n. 641.
1Sāvatthiyaṁ. "Bhūtapubbaṁ, bhikkhave, sakkassa devānamindassa rahogatassa paṭisallīnassa evaṁ cetaso parivitakko udapādi: ‘yopi me assa supaccatthiko tassapāhaṁ na dubbheyyan’ti.
Atha kho, bhikkhave, vepacitti asurindo sakkassa devānamindassa cetasā cetoparivitakkamaññāya yena sakko devānamindo tenupasaṅkami. Addasā kho, bhikkhave, sakko devānamindo vepacittiṁ asurindaṁ dūratova āgacchantaṁ. Disvāna vepacittiṁ asurindaṁ etadavoca: ‘tiṭṭha, vepacitti, gahitosī’ti.
2‘Yadeva te, mārisa, pubbe cittaṁ, tadeva tvaṁ mā pajahāsī’ti.
3‘Sapassu ca me, vepacitti, adubbhāyā’ti.
4‘Yaṁ musā bhaṇato pāpaṁ,
Yaṁ pāpaṁ ariyūpavādino;
Mittadduno ca yaṁ pāpaṁ,
Yaṁ pāpaṁ akataññuno;
Tameva pāpaṁ phusatu,
Yo te dubbhe sujampatī’"ti.