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8. Nāmarūpapaṭisandahanapañha

Question on the Reconnection of Name-and-form

Rājā āha—
The king asked:

“bhante nāgasena, yaṁ panetaṁ brūsi ‘nāmarūpan’ti, tattha katamaṁ nāmaṁ, katamaṁ rūpan”ti.
“Venerable Nāgasena, you talked then of name-and-form. What in there is name, and what is form?”

“Yaṁ tattha, mahārāja, oḷārikaṁ, etaṁ rūpaṁ, ye tattha sukhumā cittacetasikā dhammā, etaṁ nāman”ti.
“Whatever in there, your majesty, is gross, that is form. Whatever in there are subtle mental states that are mental factors in the mind, that is name.”

“Bhante nāgasena, kena kāraṇena nāmaṁyeva na paṭisandahati, rūpaṁyeva vā”ti?
“Venerable Nāgasena, why doesn’t just name alone reconnect, nor form alone?”

“Aññamaññūpanissitā, mahārāja, ete dhammā ekatova uppajjantī”ti.
“These things, your majesty, are mutually dependent and they only arise together.”

“Opammaṁ karohī”ti.
“Please give me an analogy.”

“Yathā, mahārāja, kukkuṭiyā kalalaṁ na bhaveyya, aṇḍampi na bhaveyya, yañca tattha kalalaṁ, yañca aṇḍaṁ, ubhopete aññamaññūpanissitā, ekatova nesaṁ uppatti hoti;
“Just as, your majesty, there could not be just a yolk nor just an egg-shell, since the yoke and the egg-shell are both mutually dependent and they only arise together.

evameva kho, mahārāja, yadi tattha nāmaṁ na bhaveyya, rūpampi na bhaveyya, yañceva tattha nāmaṁ, yañceva rūpaṁ, ubhopete aññamaññūpanissitā, ekatova nesaṁ uppatti hoti.
In the same way, your majesty, if there were no name there would be no form, and what name there is and what form there is, these are both mutually dependent and they only arise together.

Evametaṁ dīghamaddhānaṁ sandhāvitan”ti.
Thus, there is this long extent of transmigration time.”

“Kallosi, bhante nāgasenā”ti.
“You are clever, venerable Nāgasena!”

Nāmarūpapaṭisandahanapañho aṭṭhamo.
Question on the Reconnection of Name-and-form eighth