sutta » kn » snp » vagga2 » Sutta Nipāta 2.12

Nigrodhakappa (vaṅgīsa) sutta

Vaṅgīsa and His Mentor Nigrodhakappa

Evaṁ me sutaṁ—
So I have heard.

ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā āḷaviyaṁ viharati aggāḷave cetiye.
At one time the Buddha was staying near Āḷavī, at the Aggāḷava Tree-shrine.

Tena kho pana samayena āyasmato vaṅgīsassa upajjhāyo nigrodhakappo nāma thero aggāḷave cetiye aciraparinibbuto hoti.
Now at that time it was not long after Venerable Vaṅgīsa’s mentor, the senior monk named Nigrodhakappa, had become extinguished.

Atha kho āyasmato vaṅgīsassa rahogatassa paṭisallīnassa evaṁ cetaso parivitakko udapādi—
Then as Vaṅgīsa was in private retreat this thought came to his mind:

parinibbuto nu kho me upajjhāyo udāhu no parinibbutoti?
“Has my mentor become extinguished or not?”

Atha kho āyasmā vaṅgīso sāyanhasamayaṁ paṭisallānā vuṭṭhito yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā vaṅgīso bhagavantaṁ etadavoca—
Then in the late afternoon, Venerable Vaṅgīsa came out of retreat and went to the Buddha. He bowed, sat down to one side, and said to him:

idha mayhaṁ, bhante, rahogatassa paṭisallīnassa evaṁ cetaso parivitakko udapādi—
“Just now, sir, as I was in private retreat this thought came to mind.

parinibbuto nu kho me upajjhāyo, udāhu no parinibbutoti.
‘Has my mentor become extinguished or not?’”

Atha kho āyasmā vaṅgīso uṭṭhāyāsanā ekaṁsaṁ cīvaraṁ katvā yena bhagavā tenañjaliṁ paṇāmetvā bhagavantaṁ gāthāya ajjhabhāsi:
Then Venerable Vaṅgīsa got up from his seat, arranged his robe over one shoulder, raised his joined palms toward the Buddha, and addressed him in verse:

“Pucchāmi satthāramanomapaññaṁ,
“I ask the teacher unrivaled in wisdom,

Diṭṭheva dhamme yo vicikicchānaṁ chettā;
who has cut off all doubts in this very life:

Aggāḷave kālamakāsi bhikkhu,
a monk has died at Aggāḷava, who was

Ñāto yasassī abhinibbutatto.
well-known, famous, and quenched.

Nigrodhakappo iti tassa nāmaṁ,
Nigrodhakappa was his name;

Tayā kataṁ bhagavā brāhmaṇassa;
it was given to that brahmin by you, Blessed One.

So taṁ namassaṁ acari mutyapekkho,
He wandered in your honor, yearning for freedom,

Āraddhaviriyo daḷhadhammadassī.
energetic, a resolute Seer of Truth.

Taṁ sāvakaṁ sakya mayampi sabbe,
O Sakyan, All-seer,

Aññātumicchāma samantacakkhu;
we all wish to know about that disciple.

Samavaṭṭhitā no savanāya sotā,
Our ears are eager to hear,

Tuvaṁ no satthā tvamanuttarosi.
for you are the most excellent teacher.

Chindeva no vicikicchaṁ brūhi metaṁ,
Cut off our doubt, declare this to us;

Parinibbutaṁ vedaya bhūripañña;
your wisdom is vast, tell us of his quenching!

Majjheva no bhāsa samantacakkhu,
All-seer, speak among us,

Sakkova devāna sahassanetto.
like the thousand-eyed Sakka <j>in the midst of the gods!

Ye keci ganthā idha mohamaggā,
Whatever ties there are, or paths to delusion,

Aññāṇapakkhā vicikicchaṭhānā;
or things on the side of unknowing, <j>or that are bases of doubt

Tathāgataṁ patvā na te bhavanti,
vanish on reaching a Realized One,

Cakkhuñhi etaṁ paramaṁ narānaṁ.
for his eye is the best of all people’s.

No ce hi jātu puriso kilese,
If no man were ever to disperse corruptions,

Vāto yathā abbhaghanaṁ vihāne;
like the wind dispersing the clouds,

Tamovassa nivuto sabbaloko,
darkness would shroud the whole world;

Na jotimantopi narā tapeyyuṁ.
not even brilliant men would shine.

Dhīrā ca pajjotakarā bhavanti,
The wise are bringers of light;

Taṁ taṁ ahaṁ vīra tatheva maññe;
my hero, that is what I think of you.

Vipassinaṁ jānamupāgamumhā,
We’ve come for your discernment and knowledge:

Parisāsu no āvikarohi kappaṁ.
here in this assembly, declare to us about Kappāyana.

Khippaṁ giraṁ eraya vaggu vagguṁ,
Swiftly send forth your sweet, sweet voice,

Haṁsova paggayha saṇikaṁ nikūja;
like a goose stretching its neck, gently honking,

Bindussarena suvikappitena,
lucid-flowing, with lovely tone:

Sabbeva te ujjugatā suṇoma.
alert, we all listen to you.

Pahīnajātimaraṇaṁ asesaṁ,
You have entirely abandoned birth and death;

Niggayha dhonaṁ vadessāmi dhammaṁ;
restrained and pure, I urge you to speak the Dhamma!

Na kāmakāro hi puthujjanānaṁ,
For while ordinary people have no wish-granter,

Saṅkheyyakāro ca tathāgatānaṁ.
Realized Ones have a comprehensibility-granter.

Sampannaveyyākaraṇaṁ tavedaṁ,
Your answer is definitive, and we will adopt it,

Samujjupaññassa samuggahītaṁ;
for you have perfect understanding.

Ayamañjalī pacchimo suppaṇāmito,
We raise our joined palms one last time,

Mā mohayī jānamanomapañña.
one of unrivaled wisdom, <j>don’t deliberately confuse us.

Parovaraṁ ariyadhammaṁ viditvā,
Knowing the noble teaching from top to bottom,

Mā mohayī jānamanomavīra;
unrivaled hero, don’t deliberately confuse us.

Vāriṁ yathā ghammani ghammatatto,
As a man baking in the summer sun <j>would long for water,

Vācābhikaṅkhāmi sutaṁ pavassa.
I long for your voice, so let the sound rain down.

Yadatthikaṁ brahmacariyaṁ acarī,
Surely Kappāyana did not <j>lead the spiritual life in vain?

Kappāyano kaccissa taṁ amoghaṁ;
Did he realize quenching,

Nibbāyi so ādu saupādiseso,
or did he still have a remnant of defilement?

Yathā vimutto ahu taṁ suṇoma”.
Let us hear what kind of liberation he had!”

“Acchecchi taṇhaṁ idha nāmarūpe,
“He cut off craving for name and form right here,”

(iti bhagavā)
said the Buddha,

Kaṇhassa sotaṁ dīgharattānusayitaṁ;
“the river of darkness that had long lain within him.

Atāri jātiṁ maraṇaṁ asesaṁ”,
He has entirely crossed over birth and death.”

Iccabravī bhagavā pañcaseṭṭho.
So declared the Blessed One, the leader of the five.

“Esa sutvā pasīdāmi,
“Now that I have heard your words,

Vaco te isisattama;
seventh of sages, I am confident.

Amoghaṁ kira me puṭṭhaṁ,
My question, it seems, was not in vain,

Na maṁ vañcesi brāhmaṇo.
the brahmin did not deceive me.

Yathāvādī tathākārī,
As he said, so he did—

Ahu buddhassa sāvako;
he was a disciple of the Buddha.

Acchidā maccuno jālaṁ,
He cut the net of death the deceiver,

Tataṁ māyāvino daḷhaṁ.
so extended and strong.

Addasā bhagavā ādiṁ,
Blessed One, Kappāyana saw

Upādānassa kappiyo;
the starting point of grasping.

Accagā vata kappāyano,
He has indeed gone far beyond

Maccudheyyaṁ suduttaran”ti.
Death’s domain so hard to pass.”

Nigrodhakappasuttaṁ dvādasamaṁ.