sutta » sn » sn9 » Saṁyutta Nikāya 9.13

Pākatindriyasutta

Undisciplined Faculties They were restless, puffed up, personally vain, rough-tongued, rambling in their talk, muddle-minded, without clear comprehension, unconcentrated, scatter-brained, loose in their sense faculties.

Ekaṁ samayaṁ sambahulā bhikkhū kosalesu viharanti aññatarasmiṁ vanasaṇḍe uddhatā unnaḷā capalā mukharā vikiṇṇavācā muṭṭhassatino asampajānā asamāhitā vibbhantacittā pākatindriyā.
At one time several mendicants were staying in the Kosalan lands in a certain forest grove. They were restless, insolent, fickle, scurrilous, loose-tongued, unmindful, lacking situational awareness and immersion, with straying minds and undisciplined faculties.
Then the devatā that inhabited that woodland thicket, having compassion for those bhikkhus, desiring their good, desiring to stir up a sense of urgency in them, approached them and addressed them with verses:

Atha kho yā tasmiṁ vanasaṇḍe adhivatthā devatā tesaṁ bhikkhūnaṁ anukampikā atthakāmā te bhikkhū saṁvejetukāmā yena te bhikkhū tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā te bhikkhū gāthāhi ajjhabhāsi:
The deity haunting that forest had sympathy for those mendicants, and wanted what’s best for them. So they approached those mendicants wanting to stir them up, and addressed them in verse:
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“Sukhajīvino pure āsuṁ,
“The mendicants used to live happily,
In the past the bhikkhus lived happily,

bhikkhū gotamasāvakā;
as disciples of Gotama.
The disciples of Gotama.

Anicchā piṇḍamesanā,
Desireless they sought alms;
Without wishes they sought their alms,

anicchā sayanāsanaṁ;
desireless they used their lodgings.
Without wishes they used their lodgings.

Loke aniccataṁ ñatvā,
Knowing that the world was impermanent
Having known the world’s impermanence,

dukkhassantaṁ akaṁsu te.
they made an end of suffering.
They made an end to suffering.

Dupposaṁ katvā attānaṁ,
But now they’ve made themselves hard to look after,
But now like headmen in a village

gāme gāmaṇikā viya;
like chiefs in a village.
They make themselves hard to maintain.

Bhutvā bhutvā nipajjanti,
They eat and eat and then lie down,
They eat and eat and then lie down,

parāgāresu mucchitā.
unconscious in the homes of others.
Infatuated in others’ homes.

Saṅghassa añjaliṁ katvā,
Having raised my joined palms to the Saṅgha,
Having reverently saluted the Saṅgha,

idhekacce vadāmahaṁ;
I speak here only about certain people.
I here speak only about some:

Apaviddhā anāthā te,
They’re rejects, with no protector,
They are rejected, without protector,

yathā petā tatheva te.
just like those who have passed away.
Become just like the dead.

Ye kho pamattā viharanti,
I’m speaking about
My statement is made with reference

te me sandhāya bhāsitaṁ;
those who live negligently.
To those who dwell in negligence.

Ye appamattā viharanti,
To those who live diligently
As for those who dwell in diligence,

namo tesaṁ karomahan”ti.
I pay homage.”
To them I humbly pay homage.

Atha kho te bhikkhū tāya devatāya saṁvejitā saṁvegamāpādunti.
Impelled by that deity, those mendicants were struck with a sense of urgency.
Then those bhikkhus, stirred up by that devatā, acquired a sense of urgency.