SN7:18 The Wood Gatherers
- DG BB TBW © Translated from the Pali by Bhikkhu Bodhi. (More copyright information)
1On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling among the Kosalans in a certain woodland thicket. Now on that occasion a number of brahmin boys, students of a certain brahmin of the Bharadvaja clan, approached that woodland thicket while collecting firewood. Having approached, they saw the Blessed One sitting in that woodland thicket with his legs folded crosswise, holding his body erect, having set up mindfulness in front of him. Having seen him, they approached the brahmin of the Bharadvaja clan and said to him: "See now, master, you should know that in such and such a woodland thicket an ascetic is sitting with his legs folded crosswise, holding his body erect, having set up mindfulness in front of him."
Then the brahmin of the Bharadvaja clan, together with those brahmin boys, went to that woodland thicket. He saw the Blessed One sitting there … … having set up mindfulness in front of him. He then approached the Blessed One and addressed him in verse:
2v.697 "Having entered the empty, desolate forest,
Deep in the woods where many terrors lurk, sn.i.181
With a motionless body, steady, lovely,
How you meditate, bhikkhu, so beautifully!
[n.475] In the third line I supply "body" in deference to Spk, which explains the instrumentals as qualifying the body (kayavisesanani). Spk glosses sucarurūpaṁ with atisundaraṁ.
3v.698 "In the forest where no song or music sounds,
A solitary sage has resorted to the woods!
This strikes me as a wonder—that you dwell
With joyful mind alone in the woods.
4v.699 "I suppose you desire the supreme triple heaven,
The company of the world's divine lord.
Therefore you resort to the desolate forest:
You practise penance here for attaining Brahma.ʺ
[n.476] Spk: The world's divine lord (lokadhipati) is Mahābrahmā, the supreme triple heaven (tidivam anuttaraṁ) is said with reference to the brahma world. I translate pādas cd as an assertion based on the v.l. tasma found in some SS and adopted by Ee2 rather than as a question signalled by kasma, the reading in Be, Se, and Ee1.
The Blessed One:
5v.700 "Whatever be the many desires and delights
That are always attached to the manifold elements,
The longings sprung from the root of unknowing:
All I have demolished along with their root.
[n.477] Spk explains desires (kaṅkhā), delights (abhinandanā), and longings (pajappitā) as modes of craving (taṇhā). The root of unknowing (aññāṇamūla) is ignorance (avijjā). (A parallel to this verse is at Nett 24 and Peṭ 17, but with pāda a reading ḍāsā piha ca abhinandanā ca.)
6v.701 "I am desireless, unattached, disengaged;
My vision of all things has been purified.
Having attained the auspicious—supreme enlightenment—
Self-confident, brahmin, I meditate alone."
[n.478] in pāda a, I read asito with Be, Se, and Ee2, as against Ee1 apiho, "without envy." Spk takes "my purified vision of all things" to be an allusion to the knowledge of omniscience. (In pāda c, it glosses sivaṁ with seṭṭhaṁ, and sambodhim anuttaraṁ with arahatta.)
7When this was said, the brahmin of the Bharadvaja clan said to the Blessed One: "Magnificent, Master Gotama! Magnificent, Master Gotama! … Let Master Gotama remember me as a lay follower who from today has gone for refuge for life."
1Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā kosalesu vihārati aññatarasmiṁ vanasaṇḍe. Tena kho pana samayena aññatarassa bhāradvājagottassa brāhmaṇassa sambahulā antevāsikā kaṭṭhahārakā māṇavakā yena vanasaṇḍo tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā addasaṁsu bhagavantaṁ tasmiṁ vanasaṇḍe nisinnaṁ pallaṅkaṁ ābhujitvā ujuṁ kāyaṁ paṇidhāya parimukhaṁ satiṁ upaṭṭhapetvā. Disvāna yena bhāradvājagotto brāhmaṇo tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā bhāradvājagottaṁ brāhmaṇaṁ etadavocuṁ: "yagghe bhavaṁ jāneyyāsi. Asukasmiṁ vanasaṇḍe samaṇo nisinno pallaṅkaṁ ābhujitvā ujuṁ kāyaṁ paṇidhāya parimukhaṁ satiṁ upaṭṭhapetvā".
Atha kho bhāradvājagotto brāhmaṇo tehi māṇavakehi saddhiṁ yena so vanasaṇḍo tenupasaṅkami. Addasā kho bhagavantaṁ tasmiṁ vanasaṇḍe nisinnaṁ pallaṅkaṁ ābhujitvā ujuṁ kāyaṁ paṇidhāya parimukhaṁ satiṁ upaṭṭhapetvā. Disvāna yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ gāthāya ajjhabhāsi:
2"Gambhīrarūpe bahubherave vane,
Suññaṁ araññaṁ vijanaṁ vigāhiya;
Aniñjamānena ṭhitena vaggunā,
Sucārurūpaṁ vata bhikkhu jhāyasi.
3Na yattha gītaṁ napi yattha vāditaṁ,
Eko araññe vanavassito muni;
Accherarūpaṁ paṭibhāti maṁ idaṁ,
Yadekako pītimano vane vase.
4Maññāmahaṁ lokādhipatisahabyataṁ,
Ākaṅkhamāno tidivaṁ anuttaraṁ;
Kasmā bhavaṁ vijanamaraññamassito,
Tapo idha kubbasi brahmapattiyā"ti.
5"Yā kāci kaṅkhā abhinandanā vā,
Anekadhātūsu puthū sadāsitā;
Aññāṇamūlappabhavā pajappitā,
Sabbā mayā byantikatā samūlikā.
6Svāhaṁ akaṅkho asito anūpayo,
Sabbesu dhammesu visuddhadassano;
Pappuyya sambodhimanuttaraṁ sivaṁ,
Jhāyāmahaṁ brahma raho visārado"ti.
7Evaṁ vutte, bhāradvājagotto brāhmaṇo bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: "Abhikkantaṁ, bho gotama, abhikkantaṁ, bho gotama … pe … ajjatagge pāṇupetaṁ saraṇaṁ gatan"ti.