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Sabbathāpi viditalokattā pana lokavidū.He is the *knower of worlds* because he has known the world in all ways.
So hi bhagavā sabhāvato samudayato nirodhato nirodhūpāyatoti sabbathā lokaṃ avedi aññāsi paṭivijjhi.For the Blessed One has experienced, known and penetrated the world in all ways to its individual essence, its arising, its cessation, and the means to its cessation,
Yathāha – ‘‘yattha kho, āvuso, na jāyati na jīyati na mīyati na cavati na upapajjati,according as it is said: “Friend, that there is a world’s end where one neither is born nor ages nor dies nor passes away nor reappears,
nāhaṃ taṃ gamanena lokassa antaṃ ñāteyyaṃ daṭṭheyyaṃ patteyyanti vadāmi,which is to be known or seen or reached by travel—that I do not say.
na cāhaṃ, āvuso, apatvāva lokassa antaṃ dukkhassa antakiriyaṃ vadāmi.Yet I do not say that there is ending of suffering without reaching the world’s end.
Api cāhaṃ, āvuso, imasmiññeva byāmamatte kaḷevare sasaññimhi samanakeRather, it is in this fathom-long carcass with its perceptions and its consciousness
lokañca paññapemi lokasamudayañca lokanirodhañca lokanirodhagāminiñca paṭipadaṃ.that I make known the world, the arising of the world, the cessation of the world, and the way leading to the cessation of the world.
Gamanena na pattabbo, lokassanto kudācanaṃ;“Tis utterly impossible To reach by travel the world’s end;
Na ca apatvā lokantaṃ, dukkhā atthi pamocanaṃ.But there is no escape from pain Until the world’s end has been reached.
Tasmā have lokavidū sumedho, Lokantagū vūsitabrahmacariyo;It is a sage, a knower of the worlds, Who gets to the world’s end, and it is he Whose life divine is lived out to its term;
Lokassa antaṃ samitāvi ñatvā, Nāsīsati lokamimaṃ parañcāti. (saṃ. ni. 1.107; a. ni. 4.45)He is at peace who the world’s end has known And hopes for neither this world nor the next” (S I 62).
Apica tayo lokā saṅkhāraloko sattaloko okāsalokoti.Moreover, there are three worlds: the world of formations, the world of beings, and the world of location.
Tattha eko loko sabbe sattā āhāraṭṭhitikāti (paṭi. ma. 1.112) āgataṭṭhāneHerein, in the passage, “One world: all beings subsist by nutriment” (Paṭis I 122), [205]
saṅkhāraloko veditabbo.the world of formations is to be understood.
Sassato lokoti vā asassato lokoti vāti (dī. ni. 1.421) āgataṭṭhāne sattaloko.In the passage, “‘The world is eternal’ or ‘The world is not eternal’” (M I 426) it is the world of beings.
Yāvatā candimasūriyā pariharanti, disā bhanti virocamānā;In the passage: “As far as moon and sun do circulate Shining[^12] and lighting up the [four] directions,
Tāva sahassadhā loko, ettha te vattatī vasoti. (ma. ni. 1.503)Over a thousand times as great a world Your power holds unquestionable sway” (M I 328)—
Āgataṭṭhāne okāsaloko.it is the world of location.
Tampi bhagavā sabbathā avedi.The Blessed One has known that in all ways too.
Tathā hissa ‘‘eko loko sabbe sattā āhāraṭṭhitikā. Dve lokā nāmañca rūpañca.Likewise, because of the words: “One world: all beings subsist by nutriment. Two worlds: mentality and materiality.
Tayo lokā tisso vedanā. Cattāro lokā cattāro āhārā.Three worlds: three kinds of feeling. Four worlds: four kinds of nutriment.
Pañca lokā pañcupādānakkhandhā. Cha lokā cha ajjhattikāni āyatanāni.Five worlds: five aggregates as objects of clinging. Six worlds: six internal bases.
Satta lokā satta viññāṇaṭṭhitiyo. Aṭṭha lokā aṭṭha lokadhammā.Seven worlds: seven stations of consciousness. Eight worlds: eight worldly states.
Nava lokā nava sattāvāsā. Dasa lokā dasāyatanāni.Nine worlds: nine abodes of beings. Ten worlds: ten bases.
Dvādasa lokā dvādasāyatanāni. Aṭṭhārasa lokā aṭṭhārasa dhātuyo’’ti (paṭi. ma. 1.112)Twelve worlds: twelve bases. Eighteen worlds: eighteen elements” (Paṭis I 122),[^13]
ayaṃ saṅkhāralokopi sabbathā vidito.this world of formations was known to him in all ways.
Yasmā panesa sabbesampi sattānaṃ āsayaṃ jānāti, anusayaṃ jānāti, caritaṃ jānāti, adhimuttiṃ jānāti,But he knows all beings’ habits, knows their inherent tendencies, knows their temperaments, knows their bents,
apparajakkhe mahārajakkhe, tikkhindriye mudindriye,knows them as with little dust on their eyes and with much dust on their eyes, with keen faculties and with dull faculties,
svākāre dvākāre, suviññāpaye duviññāpaye, bhabbe abhabbe satte jānāti.with good behaviour and with bad behaviour, easy to teach and hard to teach, capable and incapable [of achievement] (cf. Paṭis I 121),
Tasmāssa sattalokopi sabbathā vidito.therefore this world of beings was known to him in all ways.
Yathā ca sattaloko, evaṃ okāsalokopi.And as the world of beings so also the world of location.
Tathā hesa ekaṃ cakkavāḷaṃ āyāmato ca vitthārato ca yojanānaṃ dvādasasatasahassāni catutiṃsasatāni ca paññāsañca yojanāni.For accordingly this [world measures as follows]: One world-sphere[^14] is twelve hundred thousand leagues and thirty-four hundred and fifty leagues (1,203,450) in breadth and width.
Parikkhepato pana –In circumference, however:
Sabbaṃ satasahassāni, chattiṃsaparimaṇḍalaṃ;[The measure of it] all around Is six and thirty hundred thousand
Dasa ceva sahassāni, aḍḍhuḍḍhāni satāni ca.And then ten thousand in addition, Four hundred too less half a hundred (3,610,350).
Tattha –Herein:
Duve satasahassāni, cattāri nahutāni ca;Two times a hundred thousand leagues And then four *nahutas* as well (240,000):
Ettakaṃ bahalattena, saṅkhātāyaṃ vasundharā.This earth, this “Bearer of All Wealth,” Has that much thickness, as they tell.
Tassāyeva sandhārakaṃ –And its support:
Cattāri satasahassāni, aṭṭheva nahutāni ca;Four times a hundred thousand leagues And then eight *nahutas* as well (480,000):
Ettakaṃ bahalattena, jalaṃ vāte patiṭṭhitaṃ.The water resting on the air Has that much thickness, as they tell.
Tassāpi sandhārako –And the support of that: [206]
Nava satasahassāni, māluto nabhamuggato;Nine times a hundred thousand goes The air out in the firmament
Saṭṭhiñceva sahassāni, esā lokassa saṇṭhiti.And sixty thousand more besides (960,000) So this much is the world’s extent.
Evaṃ saṇṭhite cettha yojanānaṃ –Such is its extent. And these features are to be found in it:
Caturāsīti sahassāni, ajjhogāḷho mahaṇṇave; Accuggato tāvadeva, sineru pabbatuttamo.Sineru, tallest of all mountains, plunges down into the sea Full four and eighty thousand leagues, and towers up in like degree
Tato upaḍḍhupaḍḍhena, pamāṇena yathākkamaṃ; Ajjhogāḷhuggatā dibbā, nānāratanacittitā.Seven concentric mountain rings surround Sineru in suchwise That each of them in depth and height is half its predecessor’s size:
Yugandharo īsadharo, karavīko sudassano; Nemindharo vinatako, assakaṇṇo giri brahā.Vast ranges called Yugandhara, Ìsadhara, Karavīka, Sudassana, Nemindhara, Vinataka, Assakaṇṇa.
Ete satta mahāselā, sinerussa samantato; Mahārājānamāvāsā, devayakkhanisevitā.Heavenly [breezes fan] their cliffs agleam with gems, and here reside The Four Kings of the Cardinal Points, and other gods and sprites beside.[^15]
Yojanānaṃ satānucco, himavā pañca pabbato;Himālaya’s lofty mountain mass rises in height five hundred leagues
Yojanānaṃ sahassāni, tīṇi āyatavitthato.And in its width and in its breadth it covers quite three thousand leagues,
Caturāsītisahassehi, kūṭehi paṭimaṇḍito;And then it is bedecked besides with four and eighty thousand peaks.[^16]
Tipañcayojanakkhandha-parikkhepā nagavhayā. Paññāsayojanakkhandha-sākhāyāmā samantato; Satayojanavitthiṇṇā, tāvadeva ca uggatā; Jambū yassānubhāvena, jambudīpo pakāsito.The Jambu Tree called Nāga lends the name, by its magnificence, To Jambudīpa’s land; its trunk, thrice five leagues in circumference, Soars fifty leagues, and bears all round branches of equal amplitude, So that a hundred leagues define diameter and altitude.
Dveasīti sahassāni, ajjhogāḷho mahaṇṇave; Accuggato tāvadeva, cakkavāḷasiluccayo;The World-sphere Mountains’ line of summits plunges down into the sea Just two and eighty thousand leagues, and towers up in like degree,
Parikkhipitvā taṃ sabbaṃ, lokadhātumayaṃ ṭhitoti.Enringing one world-element all round in its entirety.
Yañcetaṃ jambuyā pamāṇaṃ,And the size of the Jambu (Rose-apple) Tree is the same as that of
etadeva asurānaṃ citrapāṭaliyā, garuḷānaṃ simbalirukkhassa,the Citrapāṭaliya Tree of the Asura demons, the Simbali Tree of the Garuḷa demons,
aparagoyāne kadambassa, uttarakurūsu kapparukkhassa,the Kadamba Tree in [the western continent of] Aparagoyana, the Kappa Tree [in the northern continent] of the Uttarakurus,
pubbavidehe sirīsassa, tāvatiṃsesu pāricchattakassāti.the Sirīsa Tree in [the eastern continent of] Pubbavideha, and the Pāricchattaka Tree [in the heaven] of the Deities of the Thirty-three (Tāvatiṃsa).[^17]
Tenāhu porāṇā –Hence the Ancients said:
Pāṭalī simbalī jambū, devānaṃ pāricchattako; Kadambo kapparukkho ca, sirīsena bhavati sattamanti.The Pāṭali, Simbali, and Jambu, the deities’ Pāricchattaka, The Kadamba, the Kappa Tree and the Sirīsa as the seventh.
Tattha candamaṇḍalaṃ ekūnapaññāsayojanaṃ.[207] Herein, the moon’s disk is forty-nine leagues [across]
Sūriyamaṇḍalaṃ paññāsayojanaṃ.and the sun’s disk is fifty leagues.
Tāvatiṃsabhavanaṃ dasasahassayojanaṃ.The realm of Tāvatiṃsa (the Thirty-three Gods) is ten thousand leagues.
Tathā asurabhavanaṃ avīcimahānirayo jambudīpo ca.Likewise the realm of the Asura demons, the great Avīci (unremitting) Hell, and Jambudīpa (India).
Aparagoyānaṃ sattasahassayojanaṃ.Aparagoyāna is seven thousand leagues.
Tathā pubbavidehaṃ.Likewise Pubbavideha.
Uttarakuru aṭṭhasahassayojanaṃ.Uttarakurū is eight thousand leagues.
Ekameko cettha mahādīpo pañcasatapañcasataparittadīpaparivāro.And herein, each great continent is surrounded by five hundred small islands.
Taṃ sabbampi ekaṃ cakkavāḷaṃ ekā lokadhātu.And the whole of that constitutes a single world-sphere, a single world-element.
Tadantaresu lokantarikanirayā.Between [this and the adjacent world-spheres] are the Lokantarika (world-interspace) hells.[^18]
Evaṃ anantāni cakkavāḷāni anantā lokadhātuyoSo the world-spheres are infinite in number, the world-elements are infinite,
bhagavā anantena buddhañāṇena avedi aññāsi paṭivijjhi.and the Blessed One has experienced, known and penetrated them with the infinite knowledge of the Enlightened Ones.
Evamassa okāsalokopi sabbathā vidito.Therefore this world of location was known to him in all ways too.
Evampi sabbathā viditalokattā lokavidū.So he is “knower of worlds” because he has seen the world in all ways.