sutta » kn » thig » Therīgāthā 14.1

Subhājīvakambavanikātherīgāthā

Subhā of Jīvaka’s Mango Grove Verses of the Elder Subhā of Jīvaka’s Mango Grove

Jīvakambavanaṁ rammaṁ,
Going to the lovely mango grove
Bhikkhunī Subhā was going

Gacchantiṁ bhikkhuniṁ subhaṁ;
of Jīvaka, the nun Subhā
to Jīvaka’s charming mango grove.

Dhuttako sannivāresi,
was held up by a rascal.
A rogue obstructed her,

Tamenaṁ abravī subhā.
Subhā said this to him:
so Subhā said this to him:

“Kiṁ te aparādhitaṁ mayā,
“What harm have I done to you,
“Have I done something to offend you,

Yaṁ maṁ ovariyāna tiṭṭhasi;
that you stand in my way?
that you stand there holding me back?

Na hi pabbajitāya āvuso,
Sir, it’s not proper that a man
Because it is not proper, friend,

Puriso samphusanāya kappati.
should touch a woman gone forth.
for a layperson to touch one who has gone forth.

Garuke mama satthusāsane,
This training was taught by the Holy One,
This is serious, according to my teacher’s instructions.

Yā sikkhā sugatena desitā;
it is a serious matter in my teacher’s instructions.
The One Faring Well has made the trainings clear.

Parisuddhapadaṁ anaṅgaṇaṁ,
I am pure and rid of blemishes,
I am on the path of complete purity, I am flawless,

Kiṁ maṁ ovariyāna tiṭṭhasi.
so why do you stand in my way?
why do you stand there holding me back?

Āvilacitto anāvilaṁ,
One whose mind is sullied against one unsullied;
Your mind is turbulent, mine is not,

Sarajo vītarajaṁ anaṅgaṇaṁ;
one who is lustful against one free of lust;
your mind is dirty, mine is not.

Sabbattha vimuttamānasaṁ,
unblemished, my heart is freed in every respect,
My mind is flawless and liberated in every way,

Kiṁ maṁ ovariyāna tiṭṭhasi”.
so why do you stand in my way?”
why do you stand there holding me back?”

“Daharā ca apāpikā casi,
“You’re young and flawless—
“Young and innocent girl,

Kiṁ te pabbajjā karissati;
what will going-forth do for you?
what can going forth do for you?

Nikkhipa kāsāyacīvaraṁ,
Throw away the ocher robe,
Put down that ochre robe,

Ehi ramāma supupphite vane.
come and play in the blossom grove.
come enjoy yourself in this flowering forest.

Madhurañca pavanti sabbaso,
Everywhere, the scent of pollen wafts sweet,
Sweet winds blow everywhere,

Kusumarajena samuṭṭhitā dumā;
born of the flowering woods.
from trees full of flower-pollen.

Paṭhamavasanto sukho utu,
The start of spring is a happy time—
Early Spring is a pleasant season—

Ehi ramāma supupphite vane.
come and play in the blossom grove.
come enjoy yourself in this flowering forest.

Kusumitasikharā ca pādapā,
And trees crested with flowers
Trees tipped with flowers

Abhigajjantiva māluteritā;
cry out, as it were, in the gale.
murmur in the wind.

Kā tuyhaṁ rati bhavissati,
But what kind of fun will you have
But how can you enjoy yourself,

Yadi ekā vanamogahissasi.
if you plunge into the woods all alone?
if you descend into the forest alone?

Vāḷamigasaṅghasevitaṁ,
Frequented by packs of predators,
Surrounded by a multitude of beasts and snakes,

Kuñjaramattakareṇuloḷitaṁ;
and cow elephants aroused by rutting bulls;
wild and agitated elephants;

Asahāyikā gantumicchasi,
you wish to go without a friend
you want to go without a companion

Rahitaṁ bhiṁsanakaṁ mahāvanaṁ.
to the deserted, awe-inspiring forest.
into this lonely, dreadful, and immense forest?

Tapanīyakatāva dhītikā,
Like a doll made of glittering gold,
Like a shiny golden doll,

Vicarasi cittalateva accharā;
like a nymph wandering in a park of colorful vines,
like a nymph amongst beautiful vines,

Kāsikasukhumehi vaggubhi,
your matchless beauty will shine
you will stand out

Sobhasī suvasanehi nūpame.
in graceful clothes of exquisite muslin.
wearing the finest linen from Kāsi.

Ahaṁ tava vasānugo siyaṁ,
I’ll be under your sway,
I will be under your control,

Yadi viharemase kānanantare;
if we are to stay in the forest.
if we live together in the forest.

Na hi matthi tayā piyattaro,
I love no creature more than you,
Because there is no one more dear to me than you,

Pāṇo kinnarimandalocane.
O pixie with such captivating eyes.
creature with the soft eyes of a dryad.

Yadi me vacanaṁ karissasi,
Were you to take up my invitation—
If you were to say to me:

Sukhitā ehi agāramāvasa;
‘Come, be happy, and live in a house’—
‘Come, let’s live a pleasant household life!’

Pāsādanivātavāsinī,
you’ll stay in a longhouse sheltered from wind;
you would live in a sheltered palace

Parikammaṁ te karontu nāriyo.
let the ladies look to your needs.
and have women attending you.

Kāsikasukhumāni dhāraya,
Dressed in exquisite muslin,
You would wear the finest linen from Kāsi,

Abhiropehi ca mālavaṇṇakaṁ;
put on your garlands and your cosmetics.
as well as garlands and makeup.

Kañcanamaṇimuttakaṁ bahuṁ,
I’ll make all sorts of adornments for you,
I would adorn you

Vividhaṁ ābharaṇaṁ karomi te.
of lustrous gold and gems and pearls.
with lots of gold, jewels, and pearls.

Sudhotarajapacchadaṁ subhaṁ,
Climb onto a costly bed,
You would rest on a fabulous bed with a beautiful blanket,

Gonakatūlikasanthataṁ navaṁ;
its coverlet so clean and nice,
freshly washed and dyed,

Abhiruha sayanaṁ mahārahaṁ,
with a new woolen mattress,
on a brand-new mattress upholstered with wool and

Candanamaṇḍitasāragandhikaṁ.
so fragrant, sprinkled with sandalwood.
scented with sandalwood.

Uppalaṁ cudakā samuggataṁ,
As a blue lily risen from the water
But if you live the chaste and holy life,

Yathā taṁ amanussasevitaṁ;
remains untouched by men,
then like a blue lotus that rises above the water

Evaṁ tvaṁ brahmacārinī,
so too, O chaste and holy lady,
but is not touched by anyone,

Sakesaṅgesu jaraṁ gamissasi”.
your limbs grow old unshared.”
you will wither away all alone.”

“Kiṁ te idha sārasammataṁ,
“This carcass is full of putrefaction, it swells
“What do you consider of value here,

Kuṇapapūramhi susānavaḍḍhane;
the charnel ground, for its nature is to fall apart.
in this carcass—full of corpses,

Bhedanadhamme kaḷevare,
What do you think is so essential in it
bound for the cemetery, destined to break apart?

Yaṁ disvā vimano udikkhasi”.
that you stare at me so crazily?”
What have you seen that makes you so deranged?”

“Akkhīni ca tūriyāriva,
“Your eyes are like those of a doe,
“Your eyes are like a symphony,

Kinnariyāriva pabbatantare;
or a pixie in the mountains;
like a dryad in the mountains.

Tava me nayanāni dakkhiya,
seeing them, erotic delight
Seeing your eyes

Bhiyyo kāmaratī pavaḍḍhati.
swells in me all the more.
fills me with sensual desire.

Uppalasikharopamāni te,
Your eyes are like a blue lily’s bud
Your eyes are like lotus flowers

Vimale hāṭakasannibhe mukhe;
in your flawless face <j>shining like coruscant gold.
in a face that shines like pure gold.

Tava me nayanāni dakkhiya,
Seeing them, sensual excitement
Seeing your eyes,

Bhiyyo kāmaguṇo pavaḍḍhati.
swells in me all the more.
my excitement grows ever more.

Api dūragatā saramhase,
Though you may wander far, I’ll still think of you,
Even when we are far apart,

Āyatapamhe visuddhadassane;
with your lashes so long, and your vision so clear.
I will remember your long lashes and pure eyes,

Na hi matthi tayā piyattaro,
I love no eyes more than yours,
because there is no one more dear than you,

Nayanā kinnarimandalocane”.
O pixie with such bashful eyes.”
with the soft eyes of a dryad.”

“Apathena payātumicchasi,
“You’re setting out on the wrong road!
“You want to walk where there is no path,

Candaṁ kīḷanakaṁ gavesasi;
You’re looking to take the moon for your toy!
you want to take the moon as a toy,

Meruṁ laṅghetumicchasi,
You’re trying to leap over Mount Meru!
you want to jump over Mount Meru,

Yo tvaṁ buddhasutaṁ maggayasi.
You, who are hunting a child of the Buddha!
you chase after a disciple of the Buddha.

Natthi hi loke sadevake,
For in this world with all its gods,
There is nothing in this world, even with all its devas

Rāgo yatthapi dāni me siyā;
there will be no more lust anywhere in me.
which I could now have craving for.

Napi naṁ jānāmi kīriso,
I don’t even know what kind it could be,
I do not know what it could be like,

Atha maggena hato samūlako.
it’s been smashed root and all by the path.
since it has been completely uprooted by the path.

Iṅgālakuyāva ujjhito,
Cast out like sparks from fiery coals,
Cast away like burning coal,

Visapattoriva aggito kato;
it’s worth no more than a bowl of poison.
destroyed like a worthless bowl of poison.

Napi naṁ passāmi kīriso,
I don’t even see what kind it could be,
I do not see what it could be like,

Atha maggena hato samūlako.
it’s been smashed root and all by the path.
since it has been completely uprooted by the path.

Yassā siyā apaccavekkhitaṁ,
Well may you try to seduce the type of lady
One who has not contemplated,

Satthā vā anupāsito siyā;
who has not reflected on these things,
or has not been close to the Teacher,

Tvaṁ tādisikaṁ palobhaya,
or who has never attended the Teacher:
may be enticed by you,

Jānantiṁ so imaṁ vihaññasi.
but <em>this</em> is a lady who knows—now you’re in trouble!
but I am one who knows, so you are wasting your time here.

Mayhañhi akkuṭṭhavandite,
No matter if I am reviled or praised,
Whether I am reviled or respected,

Sukhadukkhe ca satī upaṭṭhitā;
or feel pleasure or pain: I stay mindful.
whether there is pleasure or pain, my mindfulness is stable.

Saṅkhatamasubhanti jāniya,
Knowing that conditions are ugly,
Knowing that conditioned things are not beautiful,

Sabbattheva mano na limpati.
my mind clings to nothing.
my mind is never stained.

Sāhaṁ sugatassa sāvikā,
I am a disciple of the Holy One,
I am a female disciple of the one faring well,

Maggaṭṭhaṅgikayānayāyinī;
riding in the carriage of the eightfold path.
I travel with the Eightfold Path as my vehicle.

Uddhaṭasallā anāsavā,
The dart pulled out, free of defilements,
Free from influences, with darts removed,

Suññāgāragatā ramāmahaṁ.
I’m happy to have reached an empty place.
I enjoy going to an empty dwelling.

Diṭṭhā hi mayā sucittitā,
I’ve seen brightly painted
I have seen well-painted

Sombhā dārukapillakāni vā;
dolls and wooden puppets,
wooden puppets of children,

Tantīhi ca khīlakehi ca,
tied to sticks and strings,
bound with sticks and strings

Vinibaddhā vividhaṁ panaccakā.
and made to dance in many ways.
like a group of little dancers.

Tamhuddhaṭe tantikhīlake,
But when the sticks and strings are taken off—
But when those sticks and strings are removed,

Vissaṭṭhe vikale parikrite;
loosed, disassembled, dismantled,
when everything is untied, non-functional, splayed out,

Na vindeyya khaṇḍaso kate,
irrecoverable, stripped to parts—
one could not find anything in its parts,

Kimhi tattha manaṁ nivesaye.
on what could the mind be fixed?
so where could the mind settle?

Tathūpamā dehakāni maṁ,
That’s what my body is really like,
Likewise my body parts

Tehi dhammehi vinā na vattanti;
without those things it can’t go on.
do not function without those mindstates;

Dhammehi vinā na vattati,
This being so,
this being the case,

Kimhi tattha manaṁ nivesaye.
on what could the mind be fixed?
where could the mind settle?

Yathā haritālena makkhitaṁ,
It’s like when you saw a mural made
It’s like seeing a painting on a wall

Addasa cittikaṁ bhittiyā kataṁ;
by painting yellow on a wall,
made with orpiment;

Tamhi te viparītadassanaṁ,
and your eye was deceived by that—
if your vision of it is distorted,

Saññā mānusikā niratthikā.
the perception “human” is pointless.
you misperceive it as a human being.

Māyaṁ viya aggato kataṁ,
Though it’s as worthless as a magic trick,
It is like a supreme illusion,

Supinanteva suvaṇṇapādapaṁ;
or a golden tree seen in a dream,
like a golden tree in a dream.

Upagacchasi andha rittakaṁ,
you blindly chase what is hollow,
Blind one, you are getting close to something as meaningless

Janamajjheriva rupparūpakaṁ.
like a puppet show among the people.
as a marionette amidst a group of people.

Vaṭṭaniriva koṭarohitā,
An eye is just a ball in a socket,
Spinning in a blood-red hole,

Majjhe pubbuḷakā saassukā;
with a pupil in the middle, and tears,
engulfed in pus and tears,

Pīḷakoḷikā cettha jāyati,
and mucus comes from there as well,
here watery tumors are born,

Vividhā cakkhuvidhā ca piṇḍitā”.
and so different eye-parts are lumped all together.”
various eye-components balled up together.”

Uppāṭiya cārudassanā,
The pretty lady ripped out her eye.
She pulled out that charming eye,

Na ca pajjittha asaṅgamānasā;
With no attachment in her mind at all, she said:
and with a mind of non-attachment, she said:

“Handa te cakkhuṁ harassu taṁ”,
“Come now, take this eye,”
“Well then, take your eye,”

Tassa narassa adāsi tāvade.
and gave it to the man right then.
and she gave it to that man.

Tassa ca viramāsi tāvade,
And at that moment he lost his lust,
In that moment his lust dissipated,

Rāgo tattha khamāpayī ca naṁ;
and asked for her forgiveness:
and he apologized:

“Sotthi siyā brahmacārinī,
“May you be well, O chaste and holy lady;
“May you be well living the holy life,

Na puno edisakaṁ bhavissati”.
such a thing will not happen again.
this will not happen again.

“Āsādiya edisaṁ janaṁ,
Attacking a person such as this
Assailing such a person,

Aggiṁ pajjalitaṁva liṅgiya;
is like holding on to a blazing fire,
is like embracing a blazing fire,

Gaṇhiya āsīvisaṁ viya,
or grabbing a deadly viper!
or picking up a poisonous snake.

Api nu sotthi siyā khamehi no”.
May you be well, please forgive me.”
May you be well, forgive me.”

Muttā ca tato sā bhikkhunī,
When that nun was released
The bhikkhunī was let go, and from there

Agamī buddhavarassa santikaṁ;
she went to the presence of the excellent Buddha.
she went to the excellent Buddha.

Passiya varapuññalakkhaṇaṁ,
Seeing the one with excellent marks of merit,
Seeing the characteristic of excellent merit,

Cakkhu āsi yathā purāṇakanti.
her eye became just as it was before.
her eye was restored.

… Subhā jīvakambavanikā therī ….
… The Elder Subhā of Jīvaka’s Mango Grove

Tiṁsanipāto niṭṭhito.
The Chapter of the Thirties is finished.