sutta » sn » sn3 » Saṁyutta Nikāya 3.1

Daharasutta

Young Young

Evaṁ me sutaṁ—
So I have heard.
Thus have I heard.

ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme.
At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery.
On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s Park.

Atha kho rājā pasenadi kosalo yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavatā saddhiṁ sammodi.
Then King Pasenadi of Kosala went up to the Buddha, and exchanged greetings with him.
Then King Pasenadi of Kosala approached the Blessed One and exchanged greetings with him.

Sammodanīyaṁ kathaṁ sāraṇīyaṁ vītisāretvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho rājā pasenadi kosalo bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:
When the greetings and polite conversation were over, he sat down to one side and said to the Buddha,
When they had concluded their greetings and cordial talk, he sat down to one side and said to the Blessed One:

“bhavampi no gotamo anuttaraṁ sammāsambodhiṁ abhisambuddhoti paṭijānātī”ti?
“Does Mister Gotama claim to have awakened to the supreme perfect awakening?”
“Does Master Gotama too claim, ‘I have awakened to the unsurpassed perfect enlightenment’?”

“Yañhi taṁ, mahārāja, sammā vadamāno vadeyya ‘anuttaraṁ sammāsambodhiṁ abhisambuddho’ti, mameva taṁ sammā vadamāno vadeyya.
“If anyone should rightly be said to have awakened to the supreme perfect awakening, it’s me.
“If, great king, one speaking rightly could say of anyone, ‘He has awakened to the unsurpassed perfect enlightenment, ’ it is of me that one might rightly say this.

Ahañhi, mahārāja, anuttaraṁ sammāsambodhiṁ abhisambuddho”ti.
For, great king, I have awakened to the supreme perfect awakening.”
For I, great king, have awakened to the unsurpassed perfect enlightenment. ”

“Yepi te, bho gotama, samaṇabrāhmaṇā saṅghino gaṇino gaṇācariyā ñātā yasassino titthakarā sādhusammatā bahujanassa, seyyathidaṁ—
“Well, there are those ascetics and brahmins who lead an order and a community, and tutor a community. They’re well-known and famous religious founders, deemed holy by many people. That is,
“Master Gotama, even those ascetics and brahmins who are the heads of orders and companies, the teachers of companies, well known and famous founders of sects considered by the multitude to be holy men, that is,

pūraṇo kassapo, makkhali gosālo, nigaṇṭho nāṭaputto, sañcayo belaṭṭhaputto, pakudho kaccāyano, ajito kesakambalo;
Pūraṇa Kassapa, the bamboo-staffed ascetic Gosāla, the Jain ascetic of the Ñātika clan, Sañjaya Belaṭṭhiputta, Pakudha Kaccāyana, and Ajita of the hair blanket.
Pūraṇa Kassapa, Makkhali Gosāla, Nigaṇṭha Nātaputta, Sañjaya Belaṭṭhiputta, Pakudha Kaccāyana, Ajita Kesakambalī

tepi mayā ‘anuttaraṁ sammāsambodhiṁ abhisambuddhoti paṭijānāthā’ti puṭṭhā samānā anuttaraṁ sammāsambodhiṁ abhisambuddhoti na paṭijānanti.
I also asked them whether they claimed to have awakened to the supreme perfect awakening, but they made no such claim.
Even these, when I asked them whether they had awakened to the unsurpassed perfect enlightenment, did not claim to have done so.

Kiṁ pana bhavaṁ gotamo daharo ceva jātiyā navo ca pabbajjāyā”ti?
So why do you, given that you’re so young in age and newly gone forth?”
So why then should Master Gotama [make such a claim] when he is so young in years and has newly gone forth?”

“Cattāro kho me, mahārāja, daharāti na uññātabbā, daharāti na paribhotabbā.
“Great king, these four things should not be looked down upon or disparaged because they are young.
“There are four things, great king, that should not be despised and disparaged as ‘young’.

Katame cattāro?
What four?
What four?

Khattiyo kho, mahārāja, daharoti na uññātabbo, daharoti na paribhotabbo.
An aristocrat,
A khattiya, great king, should not be despised and disparaged as ‘young’;

Urago kho, mahārāja, daharoti na uññātabbo, daharoti na paribhotabbo.
a serpent,
a snake should not be despised and disparaged as ‘young’;

Aggi kho, mahārāja, daharoti na uññātabbo, daharoti na paribhotabbo.
a fire,
a fire should not be despised and disparaged as ‘young’;

Bhikkhu, kho, mahārāja, daharoti na uññātabbo, daharoti na paribhotabbo.
and a mendicant.
and a bhikkhu should not be despised and disparaged as ‘young. "

Ime kho, mahārāja, cattāro daharāti na uññātabbā, daharāti na paribhotabbā”ti.
These four things should not be looked down upon or disparaged because they are young.”
’These are the four. ”

Idamavoca bhagavā.
That is what the Buddha said.
This is what the Blessed One said.

Idaṁ vatvāna sugato athāparaṁ etadavoca satthā:
Then the Holy One, the Teacher, went on to say:
Having said this, the Fortunate One, the Teacher, further said this:

“Khattiyaṁ jātisampannaṁ,
“A man should not despise
A khattiya of noble birth,

abhijātaṁ yasassinaṁ;
an aristocrat of impeccable lineage,
A high-born prince of glorious fame:

Daharoti nāvajāneyya,
high-born and famous,
As ‘young’, not realizing,

na naṁ paribhave naro.
just because they’re young.
A man should not disparage him.

Ṭhānañhi so manujindo,
For it’s possible that that lord of men,
For it may happen that this lord of men,

rajjaṁ laddhāna khattiyo;
as aristocrat, will gain the throne.
This khattiya, shall gain the throne,

So kuddho rājadaṇḍena,
And in his anger he’ll execute a royal punishment,
And in his anger thrash one harshly With a royal punishment.

tasmiṁ pakkamate bhusaṁ;
and have you violently beaten.
One should avoid him.

Tasmā taṁ parivajjeyya,
Hence you should avoid him
“One should not despise him,

rakkhaṁ jīvitamattano.
for the sake of your own life.
guarding one’s own life.

Gāme vā yadi vā raññe,
Whether in village or wilderness,
If in the village or a forest:

yattha passe bhujaṅgamaṁ;
wherever a serpent is seen,
A serpent one may see by chance.

Daharoti nāvajāneyya,
a man should not look down on it
As ‘young’, not realizing,

na naṁ paribhave naro.
or despise it for its youth.
A man should not disparage it.

Uccāvacehi vaṇṇehi,
With its rainbow of colors,
Manifesting in diverse shapes,

urago carati tejasī;
the serpent of fiery breath glides along.
For as that fierce snake glides along,

So āsajja ḍaṁse bālaṁ,
It lashes out and bites the fool,
It may attack and bite the fool,

naraṁ nāriñca ekadā;
both men and women alike.
Whether a man or a woman.

Tasmā taṁ parivajjeyya,
Hence you should avoid it
One should avoid it,

rakkhaṁ jīvitamattano.
for the sake of your own life.
guarding one’s own life.

Pahūtabhakkhaṁ jālinaṁ,
A fire devours a huge amount,
A blazing fire that devours much,

pāvakaṁ kaṇhavattaniṁ;
a conflagration with a blackened trail.
A conflagration with blackened trail:

Daharoti nāvajāneyya,
A man should not look down on it
As ‘young’, not realizing,

na naṁ paribhave naro.
just because it’s young.
A man should not disparage it.

Laddhā hi so upādānaṁ,
For once it gets fuel
For if it gains a stock of fuel,

mahā hutvāna pāvako;
it’ll become a huge conflagration.
Having become a conflagration,

So āsajja ḍahe bālaṁ,
It’ll lash out and burn the fool,
It may attack and burn the fool,

naraṁ nāriñca ekadā;
both men and women alike.
Whether a man or a woman.

Tasmā taṁ parivajjeyya,
Hence you should avoid it
One should avoid it,

rakkhaṁ jīvitamattano.
for the sake of your own life.
guarding one’s own life.

Vanaṁ yadaggi ḍahati,
When a forest is burned by fire,
“When a fire burns down a forest—

pāvako kaṇhavattanī;
a conflagration with a blackened trail,
That conflagration with blackened trail—

Jāyanti tattha pārohā,
the shoots will spring up there again,
The shoots there spring to life once more

ahorattānamaccaye.
with the passing of the days and nights.
As the days and nights pass by.

Yañca kho sīlasampanno,
But if a mendicant endowed with ethics
But if one of perfect virtue

bhikkhu ḍahati tejasā;
burns you with their power,
A bhikkhu burns one with [his virtue’s] fire,

Na tassa puttā pasavo,
you’ll have no sons or cattle,
One does not gain sons and cattle,

dāyādā vindare dhanaṁ;
nor will your heirs find wealth.
Nor do one’s heirs acquire wealth.

Anapaccā adāyādā,
Childless and heirless you become,
Childless and heirless they become,

tālāvatthū bhavanti te.
like a palm-tree stump.
Like stumps of palmyra trees.

Tasmā hi paṇḍito poso,
That’s why an astute person,
“Therefore a person who is wise,

sampassaṁ atthamattano;
seeing what’s good for themselves,
Out of regard for his own good:

Bhujaṅgamaṁ pāvakañca,
would always treat these properly:
A fierce serpent and a blazing fire

khattiyañca yasassinaṁ;
a snake, a conflagration,
A famous khattiya,

Bhikkhuñca sīlasampannaṁ,
a famous aristocrat,
And a bhikkhu of perfect virtue.

sammadeva samācare”ti.
and a mendicant endowed with ethics.”
One should always treat these properly.”

Evaṁ vutte, rājā pasenadi kosalo bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:
When this was said, King Pasenadi of Kosala said to the Buddha,
When this was said, King Pasenadi of Kosala said to the Blessed One:

“abhikkantaṁ, bhante, abhikkantaṁ, bhante.
“Excellent, sir! Excellent!
“Magnificent, venerable sir! Magnificent, venerable sir!

Seyyathāpi, bhante, nikkujjitaṁ vā ukkujjeyya, paṭicchannaṁ vā vivareyya, mūḷhassa vā maggaṁ ācikkheyya, andhakāre vā telapajjotaṁ dhāreyya: ‘cakkhumanto rūpāni dakkhantī’ti; evamevaṁ bhagavatā anekapariyāyena dhammo pakāsito.
As if he were righting the overturned, or revealing the hidden, or pointing out the path to the lost, or lighting a lamp in the dark so people with clear eyes can see what’s there, the Buddha has made the teaching clear in many ways.
The Dhamma has been made clear in many ways by the Blessed One, as though he were turning upright what had been turned upside down, revealing what was hidden, showing the way to one who was lost, or holding up a lamp in the dark for those with eyesight to see forms.

Esāhaṁ, bhante, bhagavantaṁ saraṇaṁ gacchāmi dhammañca bhikkhusaṅghañca.
I go for refuge to the Buddha, to the teaching, and to the mendicant Saṅgha.
I go for refuge to the Blessed One, and to the Dhamma, and to the Bhikkhu Saṅgha.

Upāsakaṁ maṁ, bhante, bhagavā dhāretu ajjatagge pāṇupetaṁ saraṇaṁ gatan”ti.
From this day forth, may the Buddha remember me as a lay follower who has gone for refuge for life.”
From today let the Blessed One remember me as a lay follower who has gone for refuge for life. ”