sutta » sn » sn4 » Saṁyutta Nikāya 4.10

Dutiyaāyusutta

Life Span (2nd) Life Span

Evaṁ me sutaṁ—
So I have heard.

ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā rājagahe viharati veḷuvane kalandakanivāpe.
At one time the Buddha was staying near Rājagaha, in the Bamboo Grove, the squirrels’ feeding ground.

Tatra kho bhagavā …pe… etadavoca:
There the Buddha … said:

“Appamidaṁ, bhikkhave, manussānaṁ āyu.
“Mendicants, the life span of humans is short.

Gamanīyo samparāyo, kattabbaṁ kusalaṁ, caritabbaṁ brahmacariyaṁ.
You must go to the next life. So you should do what is skillful, you should practice the spiritual life.

Natthi jātassa amaraṇaṁ.
No-one born is immortal.

Yo, bhikkhave, ciraṁ jīvati, so vassasataṁ appaṁ vā bhiyyo”ti.
A long life is a hundred years or a little more.”

Atha kho māro pāpimā yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ gāthāya ajjhabhāsi:
Then Māra the Wicked went up to the Buddha and addressed him in verse:
Then Māra the Evil One approached the Blessed One and addressed him in verse:

“Nāccayanti ahorattā,
“The days and nights don’t rush by,
“The days and nights do not fly by,

Jīvitaṁ nūparujjhati;
and life isn’t cut short.
Life does not come to a stop.

Āyu anupariyāyati maccānaṁ,
The life of mortals keeps rolling on,
The life span of mortals rolls along

Nemīva rathakubbaran”ti.
like a chariot’s rim around the hub.”
Like the chariot’s felly round the hub. ”

“Accayanti ahorattā,
“The days and nights rush by,
“The days and nights go flying by,

jīvitaṁ uparujjhati;
and then life is cut short.
Life comes to a stop.

Āyu khīyati maccānaṁ,
The life of mortals wastes away,
The life span of mortals is depleted

kunnadīnaṁva odakan”ti.
like the water in tiny streams.”
Like the water in rivulets. ”

Atha kho māro pāpimā “jānāti maṁ bhagavā, jānāti maṁ sugato”ti dukkhī dummano tatthevantaradhāyīti.
Then Māra the Wicked, thinking, “The Buddha knows me! The Holy One knows me!” miserable and sad, vanished right there.
Then Māra the Evil One … disappeared right there.

Paṭhamo vaggo.

Tassuddānaṁ

Tapokammañca nāgo ca,

subhaṁ pāsena te duve;

Sappo supati nandanaṁ,

āyunā apare duveti.