1Standing to one side, the young deva Ghaṭikara The deva Ghaṭīkara had been a potter during the dispensation of the Buddha Kassapa, who had a monastic seat at Vehalinga, the potter's home town. At that time the future Buddha Gotama was his closest friend, the brahmin youth Jotipala. Although Jotipala went forth as a bhikkhu under the Buddha Kassapa, Ghaṭīkara had to remain in the household life to support his blind, aged parents. He was the Buddha’s chief supporter and had attained the stage of nonreturner. Highlights from the story, related in MN No. 81, appear in the verses to follow here. Aviha is one of the Pure Abodes (see n. 83). Spk says that the seven bhikkhus were liberated by the liberation of the fruit of arahantship, which they attained immediately after taking rebirth into the Aviha brahma world. recited this verse in the presence of the Blessed One:

2v.340 "Seven bhikkhus reborn in Aviha
Have been fully liberated.
With lust and hatred utterly destroyed,
They have crossed over attachment to the world."

The Blessed One:

3v.341 "And who are those who crossed the swamp,
The realm of Death so hard to cross?
Who, having left the human body,
Have overcome the celestial bond?" [n.176] in pāda a, I read pankaiṁ with Be and Ee1 as against saṅgaiṁ ("tie") in Se and Ee2. Spk states that the abandoning of the human body implies the eradication of the five lower fetters and the celestial bond (dibbayoga) signifies the five higher fetters.

Ghaṭikara:

4v.342 "Upaka and Palagaṇḍa,
With Pukkusati—these are three.
Then Bhaddiya and Bhaddadeva,
And Bahudanti and Pingiya.
These, having left the human body,
Have overcome the celestial bond." [n.177] I follow the spelling of the names in Se. Upaka is the former Ajīvaka ascetic whom the newly enlightened Buddha met while en route to Isipatana (MN I 170,33–171, 20). Later, after an unhappy marriage, he entered the Saṅgha: see DPPN 1:386. The story of Pukkusati is related in MN No. 140 and Ps V 33–63; see too DPPN 2:214–16. Pingiya here may be identical with the pupil of Bavarī whose verses occur at Sn 1131–49, though this remains uncertain. The identity of the other bhikkhus cannot be established.

The Blessed One:

5v.343 "Good is the word you speak of them,
Of those who have abandoned Māra's snares.
Whose Dhamma was it that they understood
Whereby they cut through the bondage of existence?" [n.178] I read pāda a with Be and Se kusali bhasasi tesaṁ. Spk: Kusalan ti idaṁ vacanaṁ imassa atthiti kusali; tesaṁ theranaṁ tvaṁ kusalaṁ anavajjaṁ bhasasi.

Ghaṭikara:

---

6v.344 "It was not apart from the Blessed One!
It was not apart from your Teaching!
By having understood your Dhamma
They cut through the bondage of existence.

7v.345 "Where name-and-form ceases,
Stops without remainder:
By understanding that Dhamma here
They cut through the bondage of existence." [n.179] On "where name-and-form ceases" see above n. 46. Spk paraphrases the next to last line: "Those elders (did so) having understood that Dhamma here in your dispensation."

The Blessed One:

---

8v.346 "Deep is the speech you utter,
Hard to understand, very hard to grasp.
Having understood whose Dhamma
Do you utter such speech?"

Ghaṭikara:

---

9v.347 "In the past I was the potter,
Ghaṭikara in Vehaḷinga.
I supported my mother and father then
As a lay follower of the Buddha Kassapa.

10v.348 "I abstained from sexual intercourse,
I was celibate, free from carnal ties.
I was your fellow villager,
In the past I was your friend.

11v.349 "I am the one who knows
These seven liberated bhikkhus,
Who with lust and hatred utterly destroyed
Have crossed over attachment to the world."

The Blessed One:

---

12v.350 "Just so it was at that time,
As you say, O Bhaggava: [n.180] Bhaggava was the potter's name, possibly a clan name.
In the past you were the potter,
Ghaṭikara in Vehaḷinga.
You supported your mother and father then
As a lay follower of the Buddha Kassapa.

13v.351 "You abstained from sexual intercourse,
You were celibate, free from carnal ties.
You were my fellow villager,
In the past you were my friend."

14v.352 Such was the meeting that took place
Between those friends from the past,
Both now inwardly developed,
Bearers of their final bodies. [n.181] Spk says that the concluding verse was added by the redactors of the texts. The statement that both were inwardly developed (bhavitattanaṁ) and were bearing their final bodies (sarirantimadharinaṁ) implies that after his rebirth in the Pure Abodes, Ghaṭīkara too had become an arahant.

1Ekamantaṁ ṭhito kho ghaṭīkāro devaputto bhagavato santike imaṁ gāthaṁ abhāsi:

2"Avihaṁ upapannāse,
vimuttā satta bhikkhavo;
Rāgadosaparikkhīṇā,
tiṇṇā loke visattikan"ti.

3"Ke ca te ataruṁ paṅkaṁ,
maccudheyyaṁ suduttaraṁ;
Ke hitvā mānusaṁ dehaṁ,
dibbayogaṁ upaccagun"ti.

4"Upako palagaṇḍo ca,
pukkusāti ca te tayo;
Bhaddiyo khaṇḍadevo ca,
bāhuraggi ca saṅgiyo;
Te hitvā mānusaṁ dehaṁ,
dibbayogaṁ upaccagun"ti.

5"Kusalī bhāsasī tesaṁ,
mārapāsappahāyinaṁ;
Kassa te dhammamaññāya,
acchiduṁ bhavabandhanan"ti.

---

6"Na aññatra bhagavatā,
nāññatra tava sāsanā;
Yassa te dhammamaññāya,
acchiduṁ bhavabandhanaṁ.

7Yattha nāmañca rūpañca,
asesaṁ uparujjhati;
Taṁ te dhammaṁ idhaññāya,
acchiduṁ bhavabandhanan"ti.

---

8"Gambhīraṁ bhāsasī vācaṁ,
dubbijānaṁ sudubbudhaṁ;
Kassa tvaṁ dhammamaññāya,
vācaṁ bhāsasi īdisan"ti.

---

9"Kumbhakāro pure āsiṁ,
vekaḷiṅge ghaṭīkaro;
Mātāpettibharo āsiṁ,
kassapassa upāsako.

10Virato methunā dhammā,
brahmacārī nirāmiso;
Ahuvā te sagāmeyyo,
ahuvā te pure sakhā.

11Sohamete pajānāmi,
vimutte satta bhikkhavo;
Rāgadosaparikkhīṇe,
tiṇṇe loke visattikan"ti.

---

12"Evametaṁ tadā āsi,
yathā bhāsasi bhaggava;
Kumbhakāro pure āsi,
vekaḷiṅge ghaṭīkaro.

13Mātāpettibharo āsi,
kassapassa upāsako;
Virato methunā dhammā,
brahmacārī nirāmiso;
Ahuvā me sagāmeyyo,
ahuvā me pure sakhā"ti.

14"Evametaṁ purāṇānaṁ,
sahāyānaṁ ahu saṅgamo;
Ubhinnaṁ bhāvitattānaṁ,
sarīrantimadhārinan"ti.