sutta » sn » sn11 » Saṁyutta Nikāya 11.11

Vatapadasutta

Vows Vows

Sāvatthiyaṁ.
At Sāvatthī.
At Sāvatthī.

“Sakkassa, bhikkhave, devānamindassa pubbe manussabhūtassa satta vatapadāni samattāni samādinnāni ahesuṁ, yesaṁ samādinnattā sakko sakkattaṁ ajjhagā.
“Mendicants, in a former life, when Sakka was a human being, he undertook seven vows. And it was because of undertaking these that he achieved the status of Sakka.
“Bhikkhus, in the past, when Sakka, lord of the devas, was a human being, he adopted and undertook seven vows by the undertaking of which he achieved the status of Sakka.

Katamāni satta vatapadāni?
What seven?
What were the seven vows?

Yāvajīvaṁ mātāpettibharo assaṁ,
As long as I live, may I support my parents.
‘As long as I live may I support my parents.’

yāvajīvaṁ kule jeṭṭhāpacāyī assaṁ,
As long as I live, may I honor the elders in the family.
‘As long as I live may I respect the family elders.’

yāvajīvaṁ saṇhavāco assaṁ,
As long as I live, may I speak gently.
‘As long as I live may I speak gently.’

yāvajīvaṁ apisuṇavāco assaṁ,
As long as I live, may I not speak divisively.
‘As long as I live may I not speak divisively.’

yāvajīvaṁ vigatamalamaccherena cetasā agāraṁ ajjhāvaseyyaṁ muttacāgo payatapāṇi vossaggarato yācayogo dānasaṁvibhāgarato,
As long as I live, may I live at home rid of the stain of stinginess, freely generous, open-handed, loving to let go, committed to charity, loving to give and to share.
‘As long as I live may I dwell at home with a mind devoid of the stain of stinginess, freely generous, open-handed, delighting in relinquishment, devoted to charity, delighting in giving and sharing.’

yāvajīvaṁ saccavāco assaṁ,
As long as I live, may I speak the truth.
‘As long as I live may I speak the truth.’

yāvajīvaṁ akkodhano assaṁ—sacepi me kodho uppajjeyya, khippameva naṁ paṭivineyyanti.
As long as I live, may I be free of anger, or should anger arise, may I quickly get rid of it.
‘As long as I live may I be free from anger, and if anger should arise in me may I dispel it quickly.’

Sakkassa, bhikkhave, devānamindassa pubbe manussabhūtassa imāni satta vatapadāni samattāni samādinnāni ahesuṁ, yesaṁ samādinnattā sakko sakkattaṁ ajjhagāti.
In a former life, when Sakka was a human being, he undertook seven vows. And it was because of undertaking these that he achieved the status of Sakka.
In the past, bhikkhus, when Sakka, lord of the devas, was a human being, he adopted and undertook these seven vows by the undertaking of which he achieved the status of Sakka.

Mātāpettibharaṁ jantuṁ,
A person who respects their parents,
When a person supports his parents,

kule jeṭṭhāpacāyinaṁ;
and honors the elders in the family,
And respects the family elders;

Saṇhaṁ sakhilasambhāsaṁ,
whose speech is gentle and courteous,
When his speech is gentle and courteous,

pesuṇeyyappahāyinaṁ.
and has given up divisiveness;
And he refrains from divisive words;

Maccheravinaye yuttaṁ,
who’s committed to getting rid of stinginess,
When he strives to remove meanness,

saccaṁ kodhābhibhuṁ naraṁ;
is truthful, and has mastered anger:
Is truthful, and vanquishes anger,

Taṁ ve devā tāvatiṁsā,
the gods of the thirty-three
The Tavatimsa devas call him

āhu sappuriso itī”ti.
say they really are a true person.”
Truly a superior person.”