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2. Sabbaññūbhāvapañha

All-knowing Nature Question

Rājā āha—
The king asked:

“bhante nāgasena, buddho sabbaññū sabbadassāvī”ti?
“Venerable Nāgasena, is the Buddha all-knowing and all-seeing?”

“Āma, mahārāja, bhagavā sabbaññū sabbadassāvī”ti.
“Yes, your majesty, the Buddha is all-knowing and all-seeing.”

“Atha kissa nu kho, bhante nāgasena, sāvakānaṁ anupubbena sikkhāpadaṁ paññapesī”ti?
“Then why, venerable Nāgasena, did he proclaim the training steps for his disciples gradually?”

“Atthi pana te, mahārāja, koci vejjo, yo imissaṁ pathaviyaṁ sabbabhesajjāni jānātī”ti?
“But, your majesty, is there some doctor who knows all the medicines on this earth?”

“Āma, bhante, atthī”ti.
“Yes, venerable sir, there is.”

“Kiṁ nu kho, mahārāja, so vejjo gilānakaṁ sampatte kāle bhesajjaṁ pāyeti, udāhu asampatte kāle”ti?
“And would that doctor, your majesty, administer medicine to a sick person at the time of being ill or when not ill?”

“Sampatte kāle, bhante, gilānakaṁ bhesajjaṁ pāyeti, no asampatte kāle”ti?
“He would administer medicine to a sick person, venerable sir, at the time of being ill and not when not ill?”

“Evameva kho, mahārāja, bhagavā sabbaññū sabbadassāvī na asampatte kāle sāvakānaṁ sikkhāpadaṁ paññāpeti, sampatte kāle sāvakānaṁ sikkhāpadaṁ paññāpeti yāvajīvaṁ anatikkamanīyan”ti.
“In the same way, your majesty, the Blessed One who is all-knowing and all-seeing did not proclaim a training rule to his disciples at the wrong time, but when the time was right he proclaimed a training rule to his disciples, which is not to be transgressed all life long.”

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

Sabbaññūbhāvapañho dutiyo.
All-knowing Nature Question second