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9. Vedanālakkhaṇapañha

Distinguishing Characteristic of Feeling Question

“Bhante nāgasena, kiṁlakkhaṇā vedanā”ti?
“Venerable Nāgasena, what is the distinguishing characteristic of feeling?”

“Vedayitalakkhaṇā, mahārāja, vedanā anubhavanalakkhaṇā cā”ti.
“Being felt and experiencing, your majesty, are the distinguishing characteristics of feeling.”

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

“Yathā, mahārāja, kocideva puriso rañño adhikāraṁ kareyya, tassa rājā tuṭṭho adhikāraṁ dadeyya, so tena adhikārena pañcahi kāmaguṇehi samappito samaṅgibhūto paricareyya, tassa evamassa ‘mayā kho pubbe rañño adhikāro kato, tassa me rājā tuṭṭho adhikāraṁ adāsi, svāhaṁ tatonidānaṁ imaṁ evarūpaṁ vedanaṁ vedayāmī’ti.
“Just as, your majesty, some person or other might perform a service for the king, and the king, satisfied, would repay that service. And that person, because of that service, would go about provided with and possessed of the five strands of sensual pleasure, and it might occur to him ‘previously I performed a service for the king and he, satisfied, repaid me for that service, and for that reason I experience such and such feelings.’

Yathā vā pana, mahārāja, kocideva puriso kusalaṁ kammaṁ katvā kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā sugatiṁ saggaṁ lokaṁ upapajjeyya, so ca tattha dibbehi pañcahi kāmaguṇehi samappito samaṅgibhūto paricareyya, tassa evamassa ‘svāhaṁ kho pubbe kusalaṁ kammaṁ akāsiṁ, sohaṁ tatonidānaṁ imaṁ evarūpaṁ vedanaṁ vedayāmī’ti.
Or just as, your majesty, some person or other might perform a good deed and at the beak up of the body after dying, might be reborn in a good destination, in a heavenly world, and there would go about provided with and possessed of the five strands of divine sensual pleasure, and it might occur to him ‘previously I performed a good deed, and for that reason I experience such and such feelings.’

Evaṁ kho, mahārāja, vedayitalakkhaṇā vedanā anubhavanalakkhaṇā cā”ti.
In the same way, your majesty, being felt and experiencing are the distinguishing characteristics of feeling.”

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

Vedanālakkhaṇapañho navamo.
Distinguishing Characteristic of Feeling Question ninth