2:5 Sūciloma

Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Gayā at the Ṭaṃkita Bed, the abode of the yakkha Sūciloma. Now on that [48] occasion the yakkha Khara and the yakkha Sūciloma passed by not far from the Blessed One. Then the yakkha Khara said to the yakkha Sūciloma: “He is an ascetic.”

“He is not an ascetic; he is a sham ascetic. I’ll soon find out whether he is an ascetic or a sham ascetic.”

Then the yakkha Sūciloma approached the Blessed One. Having approached, he leaned toward the Blessed One. The Blessed One drew back. Then the yakkha Sūciloma said to the Blessed One: “Are you afraid of me, ascetic?”

“I’m not afraid of you, friend. It is just that your touch is bad.”

“I’ll ask you a question, ascetic. If you won’t answer me, I’ll drive you insane or split your heart or grab you by the feet and hurl you across the Ganges.”

“I do not see anyone in this world, friend, with its devas, Māra, and Brahmā, in this population with its ascetics and brahmins, its devas and humans, who could drive me insane or split my heart or grab me by the feet and hurl me across the Ganges. But ask whatever you want, friend.”

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The yakkha Sūciloma then addressed the Blessed One in verse:

270“What is the source of lust and hatred?
Where are born discontent, delight, and hair-raising terror?
Having originated from what do the mind’s thoughts
toss one around as boys toss up a crow?”Most editions of Sn and SN 10.3, as well as their commentaries, read: kumārakā dhaṅkam iv’ ossajanti. A variant vaṅkam is found in several manuscripts. Anderson and Smith chose vaṅkam for their edition of Sn, but in his edition of Pj II, Smith replaced it with dhaṅkaṃ, which I adopt. Norman discusses the line at GD 211–12. (1)

271“Lust and hatred have their source here;
from this are born discontent, delight, and hair-raising terror.
Having originated from this, the mind’s thoughts
toss one around as boys toss up a crow. (2) [49]

272Be numbers both the preceding verse and this one 274. However, Pj II (Be) numbers the two verses 274 and 275, and thus at this point the numbering of Pj II (Be) outstrips that of Sn (Be) by one. “Born from affection, arisen from oneself,
like the trunk-born shoots of the banyan tree,
manifold, attached to sensual pleasures,
like a māluvā creeper stretched across the woods. (3)

273“Those who understand their source,
they dispel it — listen, O yakkha! —
they cross this flood so hard to cross,
uncrossed before, for no renewed existence.” (4)

Sūcilomasutta

Evaṁ me sutaṁ. Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā gayāyaṁ viharati ṭaṅkitamañce sūcilomassa yakkhassa bhavane. Tena kho pana samayena kharo ca yakkho sūcilomo ca yakkho bhagavato avidEre atikkamanti. Atha kho kharo yakkho sūcilomaṁ yakkhaṁ etadavoca: "Eso samaṇo"ti.

"Neso samaṇo, samaṇako eso. Yāvāhaṁ jānāmi yadi vā so samaṇo, yadi vā so samaṇako"ti.

Atha kho sūcilomo yakkho yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavato kāyaṁ upanāmesi. Atha kho bhagavā kāyaṁ apanāmesi. Atha kho sūcilomo yakkho bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: "bhāyasi maṁ, samaṇā"ti?

"Na khvāhaṁ taṁ, āvuso, bhāyāmi; api ca te samphasso pāpako"ti.

"Pañhaṁ taṁ, samaṇa, pucchissāmi. Sace me na byākarissasi, cittaṁ vā te khipissāmi, hadayaṁ vā te phālessāmi, pādesu vā gahetvā pāragaṅgāya khipissāmī"ti.

"Na khvāhaṁ taṁ, āvuso, passāmi sadevake loke samārake sabrahmake sassamaṇabrāhmaṇiyā pajāya sadevamanussāya yo me cittaṁ vā khipeyya hadayaṁ vā phāleyya pādesu vā gahetvā pāragaṅgāya khipeyya. Api ca tvaṁ, āvuso, puccha yadākaṅkhasī"ti.

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Atha kho sūcilomo yakkho bhagavantaṁ gāthāya ajjhabhāsi:

270"Rāgo ca doso ca kutonidānā,
Aratī ratī lomahaṁso kutojā;
Kuto samuṭṭhāya manovitakkā,
Kumārakā dhaṅkamivossajanti".

271 "Rāgo ca doso ca itonidānā,
Aratī ratī lomahaṁso itojā;
Ito samuṭṭhāya manovitakkā,
Kumārakā dhaṅkamivossajanti.

272 Snehajā attasambhūtā,
Nigrodhasseva khandhajā;
Puthū visattā kāmesu,
Māluvāva vitatāvane.

273 Ye naṁ pajānanti yatonidānaṁ,
Te naṁ vinodenti suṇohi yakkha;
Te duttaraṁ oghamimaṁ taranti,
Atiṇṇapubbaṁ apunabbhavāyā"ti.

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Sūcilomasuttaṁ pañcamaṁ.