sutta » sn » sn2 » Saṁyutta Nikāya 2.8

Tāyanasutta

Tāyana With Tāyana

Sāvatthinidānaṁ.
At Sāvatthī.
At Sāvatthī.

Atha kho tāyano devaputto purāṇatitthakaro abhikkantāya rattiyā abhikkantavaṇṇo kevalakappaṁ jetavanaṁ obhāsetvā yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ aṭṭhāsi.
Then, when the night had advanced, the young deva Tāyana, formerly the founder of a religious sect, of stunning beauty, illuminating the entire Jeta’s Grove, approached the Blessed One.
Then, late at night, the glorious god Tāyana, formerly a religious founder, lighting up the entire Jeta’s Grove, went up to the Buddha, bowed, stood to one side,

Ekamantaṁ ṭhito kho tāyano devaputto bhagavato santike imā gāthāyo abhāsi:
Having approached, he paid homage to the Blessed One, stood to one side, and recited these verses in the presence of the Blessed One:
and recited these verses in the Buddha’s presence:

“Chinda sotaṁ parakkamma,
“Having exerted oneself, cut the stream!
“Strive and cut the stream!

kāme panuda brāhmaṇa;
Dispel sensual desires, O brahmin!
Dispel sensual pleasures, brahmin.

Nappahāya munī kāme,
Without having abandoned sensual desires,
A sage who doesn’t give up sensual pleasures

nekattamupapajjati.
A sage does not reach unity.
is not reborn in a unified state.

Kayirā ce kayirāthenaṁ,
“If one would do what should be done,
If one is to do what should be done,

daḷhamenaṁ parakkame;
One should firmly exert oneself.
one should staunchly strive.

Sithilo hi paribbājo,
For a slack wanderer’s life
For the life gone forth when laxly led

bhiyyo ākirate rajaṁ.
Only scatters more dust.
just stirs up dust all the more.

Akataṁ dukkaṭaṁ seyyo,
“Better left undone is the misdeed,
A bad deed is better left undone,

pacchā tapati dukkaṭaṁ;
A deed that later brings repentance.
for it will plague you later on.

Katañca sukataṁ seyyo,
Better done is the good deed
A good deed is better done,

yaṁ katvā nānutappati.
Which when done is not repented.
one that does not plague you.

Kuso yathā duggahito,
“As kusa-grass, wrongly grasped,
When kusa grass is wrongly grasped

hatthamevānukantati;
Only cuts one’s hand,
it only cuts the hand.

Sāmaññaṁ dupparāmaṭṭhaṁ,
So the ascetic life, wrongly taken up,
So too, the ascetic life, when wrongly taken,

nirayāyūpakaḍḍhati.
Drags one down to hell.
drags you to hell.

Yaṁ kiñci sithilaṁ kammaṁ,
“Any deed that is slackly done,
Any lax act,

saṅkiliṭṭhañca yaṁ vataṁ;
Any corrupted vow,
any corrupt observance,

Saṅkassaraṁ brahmacariyaṁ,
A holy life that breeds suspicion,
or suspicious spiritual life,

na taṁ hoti mahapphalan”ti.
Does not yield great fruit.
is not very fruitful.”

Idamavoca tāyano devaputto;
” This is what the young deva Tāyana said.
That’s what the god Tāyana said.

idaṁ vatvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā padakkhiṇaṁ katvā tatthevantaradhāyīti.
Having said this, he paid homage to the Blessed One and, keeping him on the right, he disappeared right there.
Then he bowed and respectfully circled the Buddha, keeping him on his right side, before vanishing right there.

Atha kho bhagavā tassā rattiyā accayena bhikkhū āmantesi:
Then, when the night had passed, the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus thus: “Bhikkhus,
Then, when the night had passed, the Buddha told the mendicants all that had happened.

“imaṁ, bhikkhave, rattiṁ tāyano nāma devaputto purāṇatitthakaro abhikkantāya rattiyā abhikkantavaṇṇo kevalakappaṁ jetavanaṁ obhāsetvā yenāhaṁ tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā maṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ aṭṭhāsi.
last night, when the night had advanced, the young deva Tāyana, formerly the founder of a religious sect . approached me .
“Mendicants, tonight, the glorious god Tāyana, formerly a religious founder, lighting up the entire Jeta’s Grove, came to me, bowed, stood to one side,

Ekamantaṁ ṭhito kho, bhikkhave, tāyano devaputto mama santike imā gāthāyo abhāsi:
and in my presence recited these verses:
and recited these verses in my presence.” The Buddha repeated the verses in full, adding:

‘Chinda sotaṁ parakkamma,
“‘Having exerted oneself, cut the stream!…

kāme panuda brāhmaṇa;

Nappahāya munī kāme,

nekattamupapajjati.

Kayirā ce kayirāthenaṁ,

daḷhamenaṁ parakkame;

Sithilo hi paribbājo,

bhiyyo ākirate rajaṁ.

Akataṁ dukkaṭaṁ seyyo,

pacchā tapati dukkaṭaṁ;

Katañca sukataṁ seyyo,

yaṁ katvā nānutappati.

Kuso yathā duggahito,

hatthamevānukantati;

Sāmaññaṁ dupparāmaṭṭhaṁ,

nirayāyūpakaḍḍhati.

Yaṁ kiñci sithilaṁ kammaṁ,

saṅkiliṭṭhañca yaṁ vataṁ;

Saṅkassaraṁ brahmacariyaṁ,

na taṁ hoti mahapphalan’ti.
Does not yield great fruit.’

Idamavoca, bhikkhave, tāyano devaputto, idaṁ vatvā maṁ abhivādetvā padakkhiṇaṁ katvā tatthevantaradhāyi.
“This is what the young deva Tāyana said. Having said this, he paid homage to me and, keeping me on the right, he disappeared right there.
“That’s what the god Tāyana said. Then he bowed and respectfully circled me, keeping me on his right side, before vanishing right there.

Uggaṇhātha, bhikkhave, tāyanagāthā;
Learn Tāyana’s verses, bhikkhus.
Mendicants, learn the verses of Tāyana!

pariyāpuṇātha, bhikkhave, tāyanagāthā;
Master Tāyana’s verses, bhikkhus.
Memorize the verses of Tāyana!

dhāretha, bhikkhave, tāyanagāthā.
Remember Tāyana’s verses, bhikkhus.
Remember the verses of Tāyana!

Atthasaṁhitā, bhikkhave, tāyanagāthā ādibrahmacariyikā”ti.
Tāyana’s verses are beneficial, bhikkhus, they pertain to the fundamentals of the holy life. ”
These verses are beneficial and relate to the fundamentals of the spiritual life.”