1On one occasion the Venerable Kamabhū was dwelling at Macchikasaṇḍa in the Wild Mango Grove. Then Citta the householder approached the Venerable Kamabhū, paid homage to him, and sat down to one side. The Venerable Kamabhū then said to him:

2"This has been said, householder:

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3"‘With faultless wheel and a white awning,
The one-spoked chariot rolls.
See it coming, trouble-free,
The stream cut, without bondage.’ [n.296] At Ud 76,26–27, spoken with reference to the arahant Lakuṇṭaka Bhaddiya (see SN21.6). All the terms refer literally to a chariot and figuratively to an arahant. The key to the riddle is given just below in the text, with fuller explanations at Ud-a 370–71; see the translation in Masefield, The Udana Commentary, 2:959–61. The following is a summary: ela is a fault (dosa); one without faults is nela, faultless. The chariot is described as nelaṅga because its wheel (aṅga, I follow Masefield, and see MW, s.v. rathaṅga)—its most essential part—is faultless. In the application of the simile this represents the virtue associated with the fruit of arahantship. "Awning" is the woollen cloth spread on top of the chariot; the white awning (setapachāda) signifies the liberation associated with the fruit of arahantship, which is by nature thoroughly and completely pure. "Trouble-free" (anīgha) means without the agitation (parikhobha) of the defilements, as with a vehicle in which jolting (khobha) is absent. "The stream cut" (chinnasota): an ordinary chariot has an uninterrupted stream of oil smeared on the axle-heads and nave, but this one has "the stream cut" because the thirty-six streams (of craving) have been fully abandoned. "Without bondage" (abandhana): an ordinary chariot has an abundance of bonds to prevent the platform from being shaken by the axle, etc., but in this one all the bonds—that is, the fetters—have been completely destroyed; thus it is "without bondage."

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4How, householder, should the meaning of this brief statement be understood in detail?"

"Was this stated by the Blessed One, venerable sir?"

"Yes, householder."

"Then wait a moment, venerable sir, while I consider its meaning."

Then, after a moment's silence, Citta the householder said to the Venerable Kamabhū: sn.iv.292

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5"‘Faultless’: this, venerable sir, is a designation for the virtues. ‘White awning’: this is a designation for liberation. ‘One spoke’: this is a designation for mindfulness. ‘Rolls’: this is a designation for going forward and returning. ‘Chariot’: this is a designation for this body consisting of the four great elements, originating from mother and father, built up out of rice and gruel, subject to impermanence, to being worn and rubbed away, to breaking apart and dispersal.

"Lust, venerable sir, is trouble; hatred is trouble; delusion is trouble. For a bhikkhu whose taints are destroyed, these have been abandoned, cut off at the root, made like palm stumps, obliterated so that they are no more subject to future arising. Therefore the bhikkhu whose taints are destroyed is called ‘trouble-free. ’ The ‘one who is coming’ is a designation for the arahant.

"‘The stream’: this, venerable sir, is a designation for craving. For a bhikkhu whose taints are destroyed, this has been abandoned, cut off at the root, made like a palm stump, obliterated so that it is no more subject to future arising. Therefore the bhikkhu whose taints are destroyed is called ‘one with the stream cut.’

"Lust, venerable sir, is bondage; hatred is bondage; delusion is bondage. For a bhikkhu whose taints are destroyed, these have been abandoned, cut off at the root, made like palm stumps, obliterated so that they are no more subject to future arising. Therefore the bhikkhu whose taints are destroyed is called ‘one no more in bondage.’

"Thus, venerable sir, when it was said by the the Blessed One:

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6"‘With faultless wheel and a white awning,
The one-spoked chariot rolls.
See it coming, trouble-free,
The stream cut, without bondage’—

7"It is in such a way that I understand in detail the meaning of what was stated by the Blessed One in brief."

"It is a gain for you, householder, it is well gained by you, householder, in that you have the eye of wisdom that ranges over the deep Word of the Buddha." sn.iv.293

1Ekaṁ samayaṁ āyasmā kāmabhū macchikāsaṇḍe vihārati ambāṭakavane. Atha kho citto gahapati yenāyasmā kāmabhū tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmantaṁ kāmabhuṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinnaṁ kho cittaṁ gahapatiṁ āyasmā kāmabhū etadavoca:

2"Vuttamidaṁ, gahapati:

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3‘Nelaṅgo setapacchādo,
ekāro vattatī ratho;
Anīghaṁ passa āyantaṁ,
chinnasotaṁ abandhanan’ti.

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4Imassa nu kho, gahapati, saṅkhittena bhāsitassa kathaṁ vitthārena attho daṭṭhabbo"ti?

"Kiṁ nu kho etaṁ, bhante, bhagavatā bhāsitan"ti?

"Evaṁ, gahapatī"ti.

"Tena hi, bhante, muhuttaṁ āgamehi yāvassa atthaṁ pekkhāmī"ti.

Atha kho citto gahapati muhuttaṁ tuṇhī hutvā āyasmantaṁ kāmabhuṁ etadavoca:

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5"‘Nelaṅgan’ti kho, bhante, sīlānametaṁ adhivacanaṁ. ‘Setapacchādo’ti kho, bhante, vimuttiyā etaṁ adhivacanaṁ. ‘Ekāro’ti kho, bhante, satiyā etaṁ adhivacanaṁ. ‘Vattatī’ti kho, bhante, abhikkamapaṭikkamassetaṁ adhivacanaṁ. ‘Ratho’ti kho, bhante, imassetaṁ cātumahābhūtikassa kāyassa adhivacanaṁ mātāpettikasambhavassa odanakummāsūpacayassa aniccucchādanaparimaddanabhedanaviddhaṁsanadhammassa.

Rāgo kho, bhante, nīgho, doso nīgho, moho nīgho. Te khīṇāsavassa bhikkhuno pahīnā ucchinnamūlā tālāvatthukatā anabhāvaṅkatā āyatiṁ anuppāda dhammā. Tasmā khīṇāsavo bhikkhu ‘anīgho’ti vuccati. ‘Āyantan’ti kho, bhante, arahato etaṁ adhivacanaṁ.

‘Soto’ti kho, bhante, taṇhāyetaṁ adhivacanaṁ. Sā khīṇāsavassa bhikkhuno pahīnā ucchinnamūlā tālāvatthukatā anabhāvaṅkatā āyatiṁ anuppāda dhammā. Tasmā khīṇāsavo bhikkhu ‘chinnasoto’ti vuccati.

Rāgo kho, bhante, bandhanaṁ, doso bandhanaṁ, moho bandhanaṁ. Te khīṇāsavassa bhikkhuno pahīnā ucchinnamūlā tālāvatthukatā anabhāvaṅkatā āyatiṁ anuppāda dhammā. Tasmā khīṇāsavo bhikkhu ‘abandhano’ti vuccati.

Iti kho, bhante, yaṁ taṁ bhagavatā vuttaṁ:

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7Imassa kho, bhante, bhagavatā saṅkhittena bhāsitassa evaṁ vitthārena atthaṁ ājānāmī"ti.

"Lābhā te, gahapati, suladdhaṁ te, gahapati. Yassa te gambhīre buddhavacane paññācakkhu kamatī"ti.

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Pañcamaṁ.