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3. Koṭipaññāyanapañha

Question on the Discernment of an End Point

Rājā āha—
The king asked:

“bhante nāgasena, yaṁ panetaṁ brūsi ‘purimā koṭi na paññāyatī’ti, katamā ca sā purimā koṭī”ti?
“Venerable Nāgasena, concerning that which you said, ‘No earliest point can be discerned,’ what is this earliest point?”

“Yo kho, mahārāja, atīto addhā, esā purimā koṭī”ti.
“That which is time in the past, your majesty, is the earliest point.”

“Bhante nāgasena, yaṁ panetaṁ brūsi ‘purimā koṭi na paññāyatī’ti, kiṁ pana, bhante, sabbāpi purimā koṭi na paññāyatī”ti?
“Venerable Nāgasena, concerning that which you said, ‘No earliest point can be discerned,’ is it that all earliest points cannot be discerned?”

“Kāci, mahārāja, paññāyati, kāci na paññāyatī”ti.
“Some can be discerned, your majesty, and some cannot be.”

“Katamā, bhante, paññāyati, katamā na paññāyatī”ti?
“What can be discerned, venerable sir, and what cannot?”

“Ito pubbe, mahārāja, sabbena sabbaṁ sabbathā sabbaṁ avijjā nāhosīti esā purimā koṭi na paññāyati, yaṁ ahutvā sambhoti, hutvā paṭivigacchati, esā purimā koṭi paññāyatī”ti.
“That earliest point cannot be discerned, your majesty, where earlier than this no ignorance was existing at all, by any means, or in any way. That which having not existed arose, and having existed disappeared again, that earliest point can be discerned.”

“Bhante nāgasena, yaṁ ahutvā sambhoti, hutvā paṭivigacchati, nanu taṁ ubhato chinnaṁ atthaṁ gacchatī”ti?
“Venerable Nāgasena, that which having not existed arose, and having existed disappeared again would it not, having been cut off at both ends, be entirely destroyed?”

“Yadi, mahārāja, ubhato chinnaṁ atthaṁ gacchati, ubhato chinnā sakkā vaḍḍhetun”ti?
“If, your majesty, having been cut off at both ends, it was entirely destroyed, is it possible, being cut off at both ends, to grow?”

“Āma sāpi sakkā vaḍḍhetun”ti.
“Yes, it is possible for it to grow.

“Nāhaṁ, bhante, etaṁ pucchāmi koṭito sakkā vaḍḍhetun”ti?
I am not asking that, venerable sir; is it possible for it to grow from that end?”

“Āma sakkā vaḍḍhetun”ti.
“Yes, it is possible for it to grow.”

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

Thero tassa rukkhūpamaṁ akās, “khandhā ca kevalassa dukkhakkhandhassa bījānī”ti.
The elder made him an analogy of a tree, “The aggregates are the seeds of this whole mass of suffering.”

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

Koṭipaññāyanapañho tatiyo.
Question on the Discernment of an End Point third