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SN 3.20PTS (1st ed) SN 1.912 min read

Childless (2nd)

Dutiyaaputtakasutta

A wealthy man dies childless, having not enjoyed his riches. The Buddha tells of how in the time of a solitary Buddha of the past named Tagarasikhī, a householder made an offering but later regretted it.

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

  • 0.1Saṁyutta Nikāya 3.20Linked Discourses 3.20
  • 0.22. Dutiyavagga2. Childless

0.3DutiyaaputtakasuttaChildless (2nd)

1.1Atha kho rājā pasenadi kosalo divā divassa yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā ekamantaṁ nisinnaṁ kho rājānaṁ pasenadiṁ kosalaṁ bhagavā etadavoca:Then King Pasenadi of Kosala went up to the Buddha in the middle of the day … The Buddha said to him,1.2“handa kuto nu tvaṁ, mahārāja, āgacchasi divā divassā”ti?“So, Great King, where are you coming from in the middle of the day?”

2.1“Idha, bhante, sāvatthiyaṁ seṭṭhi gahapati kālaṅkato.“Sir, here in Sāvatthī a financier householder has passed away.2.2Tamahaṁ aputtakaṁ sāpateyyaṁ rājantepuraṁ atiharitvā āgacchāmi.Since he died childless, I have come after transferring his fortune to the royal compound.2.3Sataṁ, bhante, satasahassāni hiraññasseva, ko pana vādo rūpiyassa.There was ten million in gold coin, not to mention the silver coin.2.4Tassa kho pana, bhante, seṭṭhissa gahapatissa evarūpo bhattabhogo ahosi—And yet that financier ate meals of2.5kaṇājakaṁ bhuñjati bilaṅgadutiyaṁ.sour gruel with false black pepper.2.6Evarūpo vatthabhogo ahosi—He wore clothes consisting of2.7sāṇaṁ dhāreti tipakkhavasanaṁ.three patches of sunn hemp.2.8Evarūpo yānabhogo ahosi—He traveled around in a vehicle that was2.9jajjararathakena yāti paṇṇachattakena dhāriyamānenā”ti.a dilapidated little cart, holding a leaf as parasol.”

3.1“Evametaṁ, mahārāja, evametaṁ, mahārāja.“That’s so true, Great King! That’s so true!3.2Bhūtapubbaṁ so, mahārāja, seṭṭhi gahapati taggarasikhiṁ nāma paccekasambuddhaṁ piṇḍapātena paṭipādesi.Once upon a time, great king, that financier householder provided almsfood on behalf of an independent Buddha named Tagarasikhī.13.3‘Detha samaṇassa piṇḍan’ti vatvā uṭṭhāyāsanā pakkāmi.He instructed: ‘Give alms to that ascetic,’ before getting up from his seat and leaving.23.4Datvā ca pana pacchā vippaṭisārī ahosi:But after giving he regretted it:3.5‘varametaṁ piṇḍapātaṁ dāsā vā kammakarā vā bhuñjeyyun’ti.‘It would have been better to feed the bondservants or workers with that almsfood.’33.6Bhātu ca pana ekaputtakaṁ sāpateyyassa kāraṇā jīvitā voropesi.What’s more, he murdered his brother’s only child for the sake of his fortune.

4.1Yaṁ kho so, mahārāja, seṭṭhi gahapati taggarasikhiṁ paccekasambuddhaṁ piṇḍapātena paṭipādesi, tassa kammassa vipākena sattakkhattuṁ sugatiṁ saggaṁ lokaṁ upapajji.Because that financier provided Tagarasikhī with almsfood, as a result of that deed he was reborn seven times in a good place, a heavenly realm.44.2Tasseva kammassa vipākāvasesena imissāyeva sāvatthiyā sattakkhattuṁ seṭṭhittaṁ kāresi.And as a residual result of that same deed he held the position of financier seven times right here in Sāvatthī.4.3Yaṁ kho so, mahārāja, seṭṭhi gahapati datvā pacchā vippaṭisārī ahosi:But because that financier regretted giving alms,4.4‘varametaṁ piṇḍapātaṁ dāsā vā kammakarā vā bhuñjeyyun’ti, tassa kammassa vipākena nāssuḷārāya bhattabhogāya cittaṁ namati, nāssuḷārāya vatthabhogāya cittaṁ namati, nāssuḷārāya yānabhogāya cittaṁ namati, nāssuḷārānaṁ pañcannaṁ kāmaguṇānaṁ bhogāya cittaṁ namati.as a result of that deed his mind didn’t tend to enjoy nice food, clothes, vehicles, or the five refined kinds of sensual stimulation.54.5Yaṁ kho so, mahārāja, seṭṭhi gahapati bhātu ca pana ekaputtakaṁ sāpateyyassa kāraṇā jīvitā voropesi, tassa kammassa vipākena bahūni vassāni bahūni vassasatāni bahūni vassasahassāni bahūni vassasatasahassāni niraye paccittha.And because that financier murdered his brother’s only child for the sake of his fortune, as a result of that deed he burned in hell for many years, for many hundreds, many thousands, many hundreds of thousands of years.64.6Tasseva kammassa vipākāvasesena idaṁ sattamaṁ aputtakaṁ sāpateyyaṁ rājakosaṁ paveseti.And as a residual result of that same deed, he is childless for the seventh time, his fortune ending up in the royal treasury.74.7Tassa kho, mahārāja, seṭṭhissa gahapatissa purāṇañca puññaṁ parikkhīṇaṁ, navañca puññaṁ anupacitaṁ.Now the old merit of that financier has been used up, and he hasn’t accumulated new merit.4.8Ajja pana, mahārāja, seṭṭhi gahapati mahāroruve niraye paccatī”ti.Today, Great King, that financier burns in the Great Hell of Screams.”8

4.9“Evaṁ, bhante, seṭṭhi gahapati mahāroruvaṁ nirayaṁ upapanno”ti.“Really, sir, that financier has been reborn in the Great Hell of Screams?”

4.10“Evaṁ, mahārāja, seṭṭhi gahapati mahāroruvaṁ nirayaṁ upapanno”ti.“Yes he has, Great King.”

4.11Idamavoca …pe….That is what the Buddha said. …

5.1“Dhaññaṁ dhanaṁ rajataṁ jātarūpaṁ,“Grain, money, silver, and gold,5.2Pariggahaṁ vāpi yadatthi kiñci;or whatever other possessions there are;5.3Dāsā kammakarā pessā,bondservants, workers, servants,5.4Ye cassa anujīvino.and those dependent for their livelihood:

6.1Sabbaṁ nādāya gantabbaṁ,you must go on without taking these;6.2sabbaṁ nikkhippagāminaṁ;all of them are left behind.6.3Yañca karoti kāyena,But the deeds you do6.4vācāya uda cetasā.by body, speech, and mind—

7.1Tañhi tassa sakaṁ hoti,that’s what you can call your own.7.2taṁva ādāya gacchati;That’s what you take when you go.7.3Taṁvassa anugaṁ hoti,That’s what goes with you,7.4chāyāva anapāyinī.like a shadow that never leaves.

8.1Tasmā kareyya kalyāṇaṁ,That’s why you should do good,8.2nicayaṁ samparāyikaṁ;investing in the future life.8.3Puññāni paralokasmiṁ,The good deeds of sentient beings8.4patiṭṭhā honti pāṇinan”ti.support them in the next world.”

8.5Dutiyo vaggo.

9.0Tassuddānaṁ

9.1Jaṭilā pañca rājāno,9.2Doṇapākakurena ca;9.3Saṅgāmena dve vuttāni,9.4Mallikā dve appamādena ca;9.5Aputtakena dve vuttā,9.6Vaggo tena pavuccatīti.

Translator’s notes

  1. The concept of the paccekabuddha allows that there were awakened sages in the long periods of time when there is no sambuddha such as Gotama. Both are Buddhas in the sense of being awakened, but they differ in their relation to others. It is sometimes said that they do not teach, but the tradition attributes to them a number of sayings (notably Snp 1.3). They are sometimes said to be “solitary”, but in MN 116, 500 dwell on the same hill, while pacceka Brahmās appear in pairs (SN 6.6:1.3). Compare Bu NP 9:1.36.1, where “independent” funds are set up for “independent” robes (rather than combining them); the same idea occurs at AN 11.16:11.2. Likewise, SN 1.37:1.7 speaks of “independent” verses. Thus the burden of sense in the Pali is that pacceka means “independent”, which here has the sense of not forming a fourfold community, but simply living and practicing independently.

    ↩ sn3.20:3.2

  2. He did not give with his own hands.

    ↩ sn3.20:3.3

  3. Giving to workers is obviously good, but it is not good to regret one’s generosity.

    ↩ sn3.20:3.5

  4. This sequence shows the complexity of deeds and their results.

    ↩ sn3.20:4.1

  5. The regret did not cancel out the good deed, but it took the shine off it.

    ↩ sn3.20:4.4

  6. The results are proportionate to the deeds.

    ↩ sn3.20:4.5

  7. Rebirth in hell was for the murder, while childlessness is because he tried to usurp the inheritance.

    ↩ sn3.20:4.6

  8. See SN 1.39:4.3 and note.

    ↩ sn3.20:4.8