sutta » sn » sn4 » Saṁyutta Nikāya 4.24

Sattavassānubandhasutta

Seven Years of Pursuit Seven Years of Following

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

ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā uruvelāyaṁ viharati najjā nerañjarāya tīre ajapālanigrodhe.
On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Uruvelā on the bank of the river Nerañjarā at the foot of the Goatherd’s Banyan Tree.
At one time the Buddha was staying in Uruvelā at the goatherd’s banyan tree on the bank of the Nerañjarā River.

Tena kho pana samayena māro pāpimā sattavassāni bhagavantaṁ anubandho hoti otārāpekkho otāraṁ alabhamāno.
Now on that occasion Māra the Evil One had been following the Blessed One for seven years, seeking to gain access to him but without success.
Now at that time Māra the Wicked had been following the Buddha for seven years hoping to find a vulnerability without success.

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

“Sokāvatiṇṇo nu vanamhi jhāyasi,
“Is it because you are sunk in sorrow That you meditate in the woods?
“Are you swamped by sorrow <j>that you meditate in the forest?

Vittaṁ nu jīno uda patthayāno;
Because you’ve lost wealth or pine for it,
Have you lost a fortune, or do you long for one?

Āguṁ nu gāmasmimakāsi kiñci,
Or committed some crime in the village?
Or perhaps you’ve committed <j>some crime in the village?

Kasmā janena na karosi sakkhiṁ;
Why don’t you make friends with people?
Why don’t you get too close to people?

Sakkhī na sampajjati kenaci te”ti.
Why don’t you form any intimate ties?”
And why does no-one get close to you?”

“Sokassa mūlaṁ palikhāya sabbaṁ,
“Having dug up entirely the root of sorrow,
“I’ve dug out the root of sorrow completely.

Anāgu jhāyāmi asocamāno;
Guiltless, I meditate free from sorrow.
I practice absorption free of guilt or sorrow.

Chetvāna sabbaṁ bhavalobhajappaṁ,
Having cut off all greedy urge for existence,
I’ve cut off all greed and prayer for future lives.

Anāsavo jhāyāmi pamattabandhū”ti.
I meditate taintless, O kinsman of the negligent!”
Undefiled, I practice absorption, <j>O kinsman of the negligent!”

“Yaṁ vadanti mama yidanti,
“That of which they say ‘It’s mine, ’
“The things they call ‘mine’,

ye vadanti mamanti ca;
And those who speak in terms of ‘mine’—
and those who say ‘it’s mine’:

Ettha ce te mano atthi,
If your mind exists among these,
if your mind remains there,

na me samaṇa mokkhasī”ti.
You won’t escape me, ascetic. ”
you won’t escape me, ascetic!”

“Yaṁ vadanti na taṁ mayhaṁ,
“That which they speak of is not mine,
“The things they speak of aren’t mine;

ye vadanti na te ahaṁ;
I’m not one of those who speak [of mine].
I’m not someone who speaks like that.

Evaṁ pāpima jānāhi,
You should know thus, O Evil One:
So know this, Wicked One:

na me maggampi dakkhasī”ti.
Even my path you will not see. ”
you won’t even see the path I take.”

“Sace maggaṁ anubuddhaṁ,
“If you have discovered the path,
“If you’ve discovered the path

khemaṁ amatagāminaṁ;
The secure way leading to the Deathless,
that’s safe, and leads to freedom from death,

Apehi gaccha tvameveko,
Be off and walk that path alone;
go and walk that path alone—

kimaññamanusāsasī”ti.
What’s the point of instructing others?”
why teach it to anyone else?”

“Amaccudheyyaṁ pucchanti,
Ask what lies beyond Death’s realm.
“Those crossing to the far shore

ye janā pāragāmino;
“Those people going to the far shore
ask what’s beyond the domain of Death.

Tesāhaṁ puṭṭho akkhāmi,
When asked, I explain to them
When I’m asked, I explain to them

yaṁ saccaṁ taṁ nirūpadhin”ti.
The truth without acquisitions. ”
the truth without attachments.”

“Seyyathāpi, bhante, gāmassa vā nigamassa vā avidūre pokkharaṇī.
“Suppose, venerable sir, not far from a village or a town there was a lotus pond
“Sir, suppose there was a lotus pond not far from a town or village,

Tatrassa kakkaṭako.
in which a crab was living.
and a crab lived there.

Atha kho, bhante, sambahulā kumārakā vā kumārikāyo vā tamhā gāmā vā nigamā vā nikkhamitvā yena sā pokkharaṇī tenupasaṅkameyyuṁ; upasaṅkamitvā taṁ kakkaṭakaṁ udakā uddharitvā thale patiṭṭhapeyyuṁ.
Then a group of boys and girls would leave the village or town and go to the pond. They would pull the crab out from the water and set it down on high ground.
Then several boys or girls would leave the town or village and go to the pond, where they’d pull out the crab and put it on dry land.

Yaṁ yadeva hi so, bhante, kakkaṭako aḷaṁ abhininnāmeyya taṁ tadeva te kumārakā vā kumārikāyo vā kaṭṭhena vā kathalāya vā sañchindeyyuṁ sambhañjeyyuṁ sampalibhañjeyyuṁ.
Then, whenever that crab would extend one of its claws, those boys and girls would cut it off, break it, and smash it to bits with sticks and stones.
Whenever that crab extended a claw, those boys or girls would snap, crack, and break it off with a stick or a stone.

Evañhi so, bhante, kakkaṭako sabbehi aḷehi sañchinnehi sambhaggehi sampalibhaggehi abhabbo taṁ pokkharaṇiṁ otarituṁ.
Thus, when all its claws have been cut off, broken, and smashed to bits, that crab would be unable to return to that pond.
And when that crab’s claws had all been snapped, cracked, and broken off it wouldn’t be able to return down into that lotus pond.

Evameva kho, bhante, yāni kānici visūkāyikāni visevitāni vipphanditāni, sabbāni tāni bhagavatā sañchinnāni sambhaggāni sampalibhaggāni.
So too, venerable sir, all those distortions, manoeuvres, and contortions of mine have been cut off, broken, and smashed to bits by the Blessed One.
In the same way, sir, the Buddha has snapped, cracked, and broken off all my twists, ducks, and dodges.

Abhabbo dānāhaṁ, bhante, puna bhagavantaṁ upasaṅkamituṁ yadidaṁ otārāpekkho”ti.
Now, venerable sir, I am unable to approach the Blessed One again seeking to gain access to him. ”
Now I’m not able to approach the Buddha again in hopes of finding a vulnerability.”

Atha kho māro pāpimā bhagavato santike imā nibbejanīyā gāthāyo abhāsi:
Then Māra the Evil One, in the presence of the Blessed One, recited these verses of disappointment:
Then Māra the Wicked recited these verses of disappointment in the Buddha’s presence:

“Medavaṇṇañca pāsāṇaṁ,
“A stone that looked like a lump of fat
“A crow once circled a stone

vāyaso anupariyagā;
that a crow walked around:
that looked like a lump of fat.

Apettha muduṁ vindema,
‘Let’s find something tender here,
‘Perhaps I’ll find something tender,’ it thought,

api assādanā siyā.
‘Perhaps there’s something nice and tasty. ’
‘perhaps there’s something tasty.’

Aladdhā tattha assādaṁ,
’But because he found nothing tasty there,
But finding nothing tasty,

vāyasetto apakkame;
The crow departed from that spot.
the crow left that place.

Kākova selamāsajja,
Just like the crow that attacked the stone,
Like the crow that pecked the stone,

nibbijjāpema gotamā”ti.
We leave Gotama disappointed. ”
I leave Gotama disappointed.”