Skip to content
True DhammaLibrary · Community
AN 6.34PTS AN 3.331Mahāmoggallāna2 min read

With Mahāmoggallāna

Mahāmoggallānasutta

Mahāmoggallāna visits a Brahmā god who had formerly been a mendicant, and they discuss which of the gods are stream-enterers.

Translated by Bhikkhu Sujato · Pāli: Mahāsaṅgīti Tipiṭaka · Public domain (CC0) via SuttaCentral

  • 0.1Aṅguttara Nikāya 6.34Numbered Discourses 6.34
  • 0.24. Devatāvagga4. Deities

0.3MahāmoggallānasuttaWith Mahāmoggallāna

1.1PTS 3.332Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme.At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery.

1.2Atha kho āyasmato mahāmoggallānassa rahogatassa paṭisallīnassa evaṁ cetaso parivitakko udapādi:Then as Venerable Mahāmoggallāna was in private retreat this thought came to his mind,1.3“katamesānaṁ devānaṁ evaṁ ñāṇaṁ hoti:“Which gods know that they are1.4‘sotāpannā nāma avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā’”ti?stream-enterers, not liable to be reborn in the underworld, assured, destined for awakening?”

1.5Tena kho pana samayena tisso nāma bhikkhu adhunākālaṅkato aññataraṁ brahmalokaṁ upapanno hoti.Now, at that time a monk named Tissa had recently passed away and been reborn in a realm of divinity.1.6Tatrapi naṁ evaṁ jānanti:There they knew that1.7“tisso brahmā mahiddhiko mahānubhāvo”ti.The divinity Tissa was very mighty and powerful.

2.1Atha kho āyasmā mahāmoggallāno—seyyathāpi nāma balavā puriso samiñjitaṁ vā bāhaṁ pasāreyya pasāritaṁ vā bāhaṁ samiñjeyya; evamevaṁ—jetavane antarahito tasmiṁ brahmaloke pāturahosi.And then Venerable Mahāmoggallāna, as easily as a strong person would extend or contract their arm, vanished from Jeta’s Grove and reappeared in that realm of divinity.

2.2Addasā kho tisso brahmā āyasmantaṁ mahāmoggallānaṁ dūratova āgacchantaṁ.Tissa saw Moggallāna coming off in the distance,2.3Disvāna āyasmantaṁ mahāmoggallānaṁ etadavoca:and said to him,2.4“ehi kho, mārisa moggallāna; svāgataṁ, mārisa moggallāna;“Come, my good fellow Moggallāna! Welcome, my good fellow!2.5cirassaṁ kho, mārisa moggallāna; imaṁ pariyāyamakāsi, yadidaṁ idhāgamanāya.It’s been a long time since you took the opportunity to come here.2.6Nisīda, mārisa moggallāna, idamāsanaṁ paññattan”ti.Sit, my good Moggallāna, this seat is for you.”2.7Nisīdi kho āyasmā mahāmoggallāno paññatte āsane.Moggallāna sat down on the seat spread out.2.8Tissopi kho brahmā āyasmantaṁ mahāmoggallānaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi.Then Tissa bowed to Moggallāna and sat to one side.

2.9Ekamantaṁ nisinnaṁ kho tissaṁ brahmānaṁ āyasmā mahāmoggallāno etadavoca:Moggallāna said to him,3.1“Katamesānaṁ kho, tissa, devānaṁ evaṁ ñāṇaṁ hoti: ‘sotāpannā nāma avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā’”ti?“Tissa, which gods know that they are stream-enterers, not liable to be reborn in the underworld, assured, destined for awakening?”

3.2“Cātumahārājikānaṁ kho, mārisa moggallāna, devānaṁ evaṁ ñāṇaṁ hoti: ‘sotāpannā nāma avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā’”ti.“The gods of the four great kings know this.”

4.1PTS 3.333“Sabbesaññeva nu kho, tissa, cātumahārājikānaṁ devānaṁ evaṁ ñāṇaṁ hoti: ‘sotāpannā nāma avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā’”ti?“But do all of them know this?”

4.2“Na kho, mārisa moggallāna, sabbesaṁ cātumahārājikānaṁ devānaṁ evaṁ ñāṇaṁ hoti: ‘sotāpannā nāma avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā’ti.“No, my good Moggallāna, not all of them.4.3Ye kho te, mārisa moggallāna, cātumahārājikā devā buddhe aveccappasādena asamannāgatā dhamme aveccappasādena asamannāgatā saṅghe aveccappasādena asamannāgatā ariyakantehi sīlehi asamannāgatā na tesaṁ devānaṁ evaṁ ñāṇaṁ hoti: ‘sotāpannā nāma avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā’ti.Those who lack experiential confidence in the Buddha, the teaching, and the Saṅgha, and lack the ethics loved by the noble ones, do not know that they are stream-enterers.4.4Ye ca kho te, mārisa moggallāna, cātumahārājikā devā buddhe aveccappasādena samannāgatā, dhamme aveccappasādena samannāgatā, saṅghe aveccappasādena samannāgatā ariyakantehi sīlehi samannāgatā, tesaṁ evaṁ ñāṇaṁ hoti: ‘sotāpannā nāma avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā’”ti.But those who have experiential confidence in the Buddha, the teaching, and the Saṅgha, and have the ethics loved by the noble ones, do know that they are stream-enterers.”

5.1“Cātumahārājikānaññeva nu kho, tissa, devānaṁ evaṁ ñāṇaṁ hoti: ‘sotāpannā nāma avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā’ti udāhu tāvatiṁsānampi devānaṁ …pe…“But Tissa, is it only the gods of the four great kings who know that they are stream-enterers, or do the gods of the thirty-three …5.2yāmānampi devānaṁ …the gods of Yama …5.3tusitānampi devānaṁ …the joyful gods …5.4nimmānaratīnampi devānaṁ …the gods who love to create …5.5paranimmitavasavattīnampi devānaṁ evaṁ ñāṇaṁ hoti: ‘sotāpannā nāma avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā’”ti?and the gods who control what is created by others know that they are stream-enterers, not liable to be reborn in the underworld, assured, destined for awakening?”

5.6“Paranimmitavasavattīnampi kho, mārisa moggallāna, devānaṁ evaṁ ñāṇaṁ hoti: ‘sotāpannā nāma avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā’”ti.“The gods of these various classes know this.”

6.1“Sabbesaññeva nu kho, tissa, paranimmitavasavattīnaṁ devānaṁ evaṁ ñāṇaṁ hoti: ‘sotāpannā nāma avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā’”ti?“But do all of them know this?”

6.2“Na kho, mārisa moggallāna, sabbesaṁ paranimmitavasavattīnaṁ devānaṁ evaṁ ñāṇaṁ hoti: ‘sotāpannā nāma avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā’ti.“No, my good Moggallāna, not all of them.6.3Ye kho te, mārisa moggallāna, paranimmitavasavattī devā buddhe aveccappasādena asamannāgatā, dhamme aveccappasādena asamannāgatā, saṅghe aveccappasādena asamannāgatā, ariyakantehi sīlehi asamannāgatā, na tesaṁ devānaṁ evaṁ ñāṇaṁ hoti: ‘sotāpannā nāma avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā’ti.Those who lack experiential confidence in the Buddha, the teaching, and the Saṅgha, and lack the ethics loved by the noble ones, do not know that they are stream-enterers.6.4Ye ca kho te, mārisa moggallāna, paranimmitavasavattī devā buddhe aveccappasādena samannāgatā, dhamme aveccappasādena samannāgatā, saṅghe aveccappasādena samannāgatā, ariyakantehi sīlehi samannāgatā tesaṁ evaṁ ñāṇaṁ hoti: ‘sotāpannā nāma avinipātadhammā niyatā sambodhiparāyaṇā’”ti.But those who have experiential confidence in the Buddha, the teaching, and the Saṅgha, and have the ethics loved by the noble ones, do know that they are stream-enterers.”

7.1PTS 3.334Atha kho āyasmā mahāmoggallāno tissassa brahmuno bhāsitaṁ abhinanditvā anumoditvā: “seyyathāpi nāma balavā puriso samiñjitaṁ vā bāhaṁ pasāreyya, pasāritaṁ vā bāhaṁ samiñjeyya; evamevaṁ: ‘brahmaloke antarahito jetavane pāturahosī’”ti.Moggallāna approved and agreed with what the divinity Tissa said. Then, as easily as a strong person would extend or contract their arm, he vanished from that realm of divinity and reappeared in Jeta’s Grove.

7.2Catutthaṁ.