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Attanā pana guṇehi visiṭṭhatarassa kassaci abhāvatoIn the absence of anyone more distinguished for special qualities than himself,
natthi etassa uttaroti anuttaro.there is no one to compare with him, thus he is *incomparable*.
Tathā hesa sīlaguṇenāpi sabbaṃ lokamabhibhavati,For in this way he surpasses the whole world in the special quality of virtue,
samādhipaññāvimuttivimuttiñāṇadassanaguṇenāpi.and also in the special qualities of concentration, understanding, deliverance, and knowledge and vision of deliverance.
Sīlaguṇenāpi asamo asamasamoIn the special quality of virtue he is without equal, he is the equal only of those [other Enlightened Ones] without equal,
appaṭimo appaṭibhāgo appaṭipuggalo…pe…he is without like, without double, without counterpart; …
vimuttiñāṇadassanaguṇenāpi.in the special quality of knowledge and vision of deliverance he is … without counterpart,
Yathāha – ‘‘na kho panāhaṃ samanupassāmi sadevake loke samārake…pe…according as it is said: “I do not see in the world with its deities, its Māras and its Brahmās,
sadevamanussāya pajāyain this generation with its ascetics and brahmans, with its princes and men,[^19]
attanā sīlasampannatara’’nti vitthāro.anyone more perfect in virtue than myself” (S I 139), with the rest in detail,
Evaṃ aggapasādasuttādīni (a. ni. 4.34; itivu. 90)and likewise in the Aggappasāda Sutta (A II 34; It 87), and so on,
‘‘na me ācariyo atthī’’tiādikā (ma. ni. 1.285; mahāva. 11) gāthāyo ca vitthāretabbā.and in the stanzas beginning, “I have no teacher and my like does not exist in all the world” (M I 171), all of which should be taken in detail.
Purisadamme sāretīti purisadammasārathi.He guides (*sāreti*) men to be tamed (*purisa-damme*), thus he is *leader of men to be tamed* (*purisadammasārathī*);
Dameti vinetīti vuttaṃ hoti.he tames, he disciplines, is what is meant.
Tattha purisadammāti adantā dametuṃ yuttā tiracchānapurisāpi manussapurisāpi amanussapurisāpi.Herein, animal males (*purisā*) and human males, and non-human males that are not tamed but fit to be tamed (*dametuṃ yuttā*) are “men to be tamed” (*purisadammā*).
Tathā hi bhagavatā tiracchānapurisāpi apalālo nāgarājā, cūḷodaro, mahodaro,For the animal males, namely, the royal nāga (serpent) Apalāla, Cūḷodara, Mahodara,
aggisikho, dhūmasikho, aravāḷo nāgarājā, dhanapālako hatthīti evamādayoAggisikha, Dhūmasikha, the royal nāga Āravāḷa, the elephant Dhanapālaka, and so on,
damitā nibbisā katā saraṇesu ca sīlesu ca patiṭṭhāpitā,were tamed by the Blessed One, freed from the poison [of defilement] and established in the refuges and the precepts of virtue;
manussapurisāpi saccakanigaṇṭhaputtaambaṭṭhamāṇavapokkharasāti soṇadantakūṭadantādayo,and also the human males, namely, Saccaka the Nigaṇṭhas’ (Jains’) son, the brahman student Ambaṭṭha, [208] Pokkharasāti, Soṇadaṇḍa, Kūṭadanta, and so on;
amanussapurisāpi āḷavakasūcilomakharalomayakkhasakkadevarājādayoand also the non-human males, namely, the spirits Āḷavaka, Sūciloma and Kharaloma, Sakka Ruler of Gods, etc.,[^20]
damitā vinītā vicitrehi vinayanūpāyehi.were tamed and disciplined by various disciplinary means.
‘‘Ahaṃ kho, kesi, purisadamme saṇhenapi vinemi, pharusenapi vinemi, saṇhapharusenapi vinemī’’ti (a. ni. 4.11) idañcettha suttaṃ vitthāretabbaṃ.And the following sutta should be given in full here: “I discipline men to be tamed sometimes gently, Kesi, and I discipline them sometimes roughly, and I discipline them sometimes gently and roughly” (A II 112).
Apica bhagavā visuddhasīlādīnaṃ paṭhamajjhānādīni sotāpannādīnañca uttari maggapaṭipadaṃ ācikkhanto dantepi dametiyeva.Then the Blessed One moreover further tames those already tamed, doing so by announcing the first jhāna, etc., respectively to those whose virtue is purified, etc., and also the way to the higher path to stream enterers, and so on.
Atha vā anuttaro purisadammasārathīti ekamevidaṃ atthapadaṃ.Or alternatively, the words *incomparable leader of men* to be tamed can be taken together as one clause.
Bhagavā hi tathā purisadamme sāreti,For the Blessed One so guides men to be tamed
yathā ekapallaṅkeneva nisinnā aṭṭha disā asajjamānā dhāvanti.that in a single session they may go in the eight directions [by the eight liberations] without hesitation.
Tasmā anuttaro purisadammasārathīti vuccati.Thus he is called the *incomparable leader of men to be tamed*.
‘‘Hatthidamakena, bhikkhave, hatthidammo sārito ekaṃyeva disaṃ dhāvatī’’ti idañcettha suttaṃ (ma. ni. 3.312) vitthāretabbaṃ.And the following sutta passage should be given in full here: “Guided by the elephant-tamer, bhikkhus, the elephant to be tamed goes in one direction …” (M III 222).
Diṭṭhadhammikasamparāyikaparamatthehi yathārahaṃ anusāsatīti satthā.He teaches (*anusāsati*) by means of the here and now, of the life to come, and of the ultimate goal, according as befits the case, thus he is the Teacher (*satthar*).
Apica satthā viyāti satthā, bhagavā satthavāho.And furthermore this meaning should be understood according to the Niddesa thus: “‘Teacher (*satthar*)’: the Blessed One is a caravan leader (*satthar*) since he brings home caravans (*sattha*).
Yathā satthavāho satthe kantāraṃ tāreti corakantāraṃ tāretiJust as one who brings a caravan home gets caravans across a wilderness, gets them across a robber-infested wilderness,
vāḷakantāraṃ tāreti dubbhikkhakantāraṃ tāreti nirudakakantāraṃ tāretigets them across a wild-beast-infested wilderness, gets them across a foodless wilderness, gets them across a waterless wilderness,
uttāreti nittāreti patāreti khemantabhūmiṃ sampāpeti,gets them right across, gets them quite across, gets them properly across, gets them to reach a land of safety,
evameva bhagavā satthā satthavāho satte kantāraṃ tāreti, jātikantāraṃ tāretītiādinā niddesanayenapettha attho veditabbo.so too the Blessed One is a caravan leader, one who brings home the caravans, he gets them across a wilderness, gets them across the wilderness of birth” (Nidd I 446).
Devamanussānanti devānañca manussānañca.*Of gods and men: devamanussānaṃ* = *devānañ ca manussānañ ca* (resolution of compound).
Ukkaṭṭhaparicchedavasena, bhabbapuggalaparicchedavasena cetaṃ vuttaṃ.This is said in order to denote those who are the best and also to denote those persons capable of progress.
Bhagavā pana tiracchānagatānampi anusāsanippadānena satthāyeva.For the Blessed One as a teacher bestowed his teaching upon animals as well.
Tepi hi bhagavato dhammassavanena upanissayasampattiṃ patvāFor when animals can, through listening to the Blessed One’s Dhamma, acquire the benefit of a [suitable rebirth as] support [for progress],
tāya eva upanissayasampattiyā dutiye vā tatiye vā attabhāve maggaphalabhāgino honti.and with the benefit of that same support they come, in their second or third rebirth, to partake of the path and its fruition.
Maṇḍūkadevaputtādayo cettha nidassanaṃ.*Maṇḍūka, the deity’s son*, and others illustrate this.
Bhagavati kira gaggarāya pokkharaṇiyā tīre campānagaravāsīnaṃ dhammaṃ desiyamāneWhile the Blessed One was teaching the Dhamma to the inhabitants of the city of Campā on the banks of the Gaggarā Lake, it seems,
eko maṇḍūko bhagavato sare nimittaṃ aggahesi,a frog (*maṇḍūka*) apprehended a sign in the Blessed One’s voice.
taṃ eko vacchapālako daṇḍaṃ olubbha tiṭṭhanto sīse sannirumbhitvā aṭṭhāsi.[209] A cowherd who was standing leaning on a stick put his stick on the frog’s head and crushed it.
So tāvadeva kālaṅkatvā tāvatiṃsabhavane dvādasayojanike kanakavimāne nibbatti.He died and was straight away reborn in a gilded, divine palace, twelve leagues broad in the realm of the Thirty-three (*Tāvatiṃsa*).
Suttappabuddho viya ca tattha accharāsaṅghaparivutaṃ attānaṃ disvāHe found himself there, as if waking up from sleep, amidst a host of celestial nymphs,
‘‘are ahampi nāma idha nibbatto, kiṃ nu kho kammamakāsi’’nti āvajjentoand he exclaimed, “So I have actually been reborn here. What deed did I do?”
na aññaṃ kiñci addasa aññatra bhagavato sare nimittaggāhā.When he sought for the reason, he found it was none other than his apprehension of the sign in the Blessed One’s voice.
So tāvadeva saha vimānena āgantvā bhagavato pāde sirasā vandi.He went with his divine palace at once to the Blessed One and paid homage at his feet.
Bhagavā jānantova pucchi –Though the Blessed One knew about it, he asked him:
‘‘Ko me vandati pādāni, iddhiyā yasasā jalaṃ; Abhikkantena vaṇṇena, sabbā obhāsayaṃ disā’’ti.“Who now pays homage at my feet, Shining with glory of success, Illuminating all around With beauty so outstanding?”
Maṇḍūkohaṃ pure āsiṃ, udake vārigocaro;“In my last life I was a frog, The waters of a pond my home;
Tava dhammaṃ suṇantassa, avadhi vacchapālakoti.A cowherd’s crook ended my life While listening to your Dhamma” (Vv 49).
Bhagavā tassa dhammaṃ desesi.The Blessed One taught him the Dhamma.
Caturāsītiyā pāṇasahassānaṃ dhammābhisamayo ahosi.Eighty-four thousand creatures gained penetration to the Dhamma.
Devaputtopi sotāpattiphale patiṭṭhāya sitaṃ katvā pakkamīti.As soon as the deity’s son became established in the fruition of stream-entry he smiled and then vanished.