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SN 41.5PTS SN 4.2912 min read

With Kāmabhū (1st)

Paṭhamakāmabhūsutta

Venerable Kāmabhū asks Citta to explain an enigmatic verse on a “one-spoked chariot”. After a brief consideration, Citta is able to explain it in detail.

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

  • 0.1Saṁyutta Nikāya 41.5Linked Discourses 41.5
  • 0.21. Cittavagga1. With Citta

0.3PaṭhamakāmabhūsuttaWith Kāmabhū (1st)

1.1Ekaṁ samayaṁ āyasmā kāmabhū macchikāsaṇḍe viharati ambāṭakavane.At one time Venerable Kāmabhū was staying near Macchikāsaṇḍa in the Wild Mango Grove.1

1.2Atha kho citto gahapati yenāyasmā kāmabhū tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmantaṁ kāmabhuṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinnaṁ kho cittaṁ gahapatiṁ āyasmā kāmabhū etadavoca:Then Citta the householder went up to Venerable Kāmabhū, bowed, and sat down to one side. Kāmabhū said to him,22.1“Vuttamidaṁ, gahapati:“Householder, there is this saying:

3.1‘Nelaṅgo setapacchādo,‘With faultless parts and white canopy,3.2ekāro vattatī ratho;the one-spoked chariot rolls on.3.3Anīghaṁ passa āyantaṁ,See it come, untroubled,3.4chinnasotaṁ abandhanan’ti.with stream cut, unbound.’

4.1Imassa nu kho, gahapati, saṅkhittena bhāsitassa kathaṁ vitthārena attho daṭṭhabbo”ti?How should we see the detailed meaning of this brief statement?”

4.2“Kiṁ nu kho etaṁ, bhante, bhagavatā bhāsitan”ti?“Sir, was this spoken by the Buddha?”

4.3“Evaṁ, gahapatī”ti.“Yes, householder.”3

4.4“Tena hi, bhante, muhuttaṁ āgamehi yāvassa atthaṁ pekkhāmī”ti.“Well then, sir, please wait a while as I consider the meaning of this.”4.5Atha kho citto gahapati muhuttaṁ tuṇhī hutvā āyasmantaṁ kāmabhuṁ etadavoca:Then after staying silent for a while, Citta said to Kāmabhū:

5.1PTS 4.292“‘Nelaṅgan’ti kho, bhante, sīlānametaṁ adhivacanaṁ.“Sir, ‘faultless parts’ is a term for ethics.4

5.2‘Setapacchādo’ti kho, bhante, vimuttiyā etaṁ adhivacanaṁ.‘White canopy’ is a term for freedom.5

5.3‘Ekāro’ti kho, bhante, satiyā etaṁ adhivacanaṁ.‘One spoke’ is a term for mindfulness.6

5.4‘Vattatī’ti kho, bhante, abhikkamapaṭikkamassetaṁ adhivacanaṁ.‘Rolls on’ is a term for going forward and coming back.7

5.5‘Ratho’ti kho, bhante, imassetaṁ cātumahābhūtikassa kāyassa adhivacanaṁ mātāpettikasambhavassa odanakummāsūpacayassa aniccucchādanaparimaddanabhedanaviddhaṁsanadhammassa.‘Chariot’ is a term for this body made up of the four principal states, produced by mother and father, built up from rice and porridge, liable to impermanence, to wearing away and erosion, to breaking up and destruction.8

5.6Rāgo kho, bhante, nīgho, doso nīgho, moho nīgho.Greed, hate, and delusion are troubles.95.7Te khīṇāsavassa bhikkhuno pahīnā ucchinnamūlā tālāvatthukatā anabhāvaṅkatā āyatiṁ anuppādadhammā.A mendicant who has ended the defilements has given these up, cut them off at the root, made them like a palm stump, and obliterated them, so they are unable to arise in the future.5.8Tasmā khīṇāsavo bhikkhu ‘anīgho’ti vuccati.That’s why a mendicant who has ended the defilements is called ‘untroubled’.

5.9‘Āyantan’ti kho, bhante, arahato etaṁ adhivacanaṁ.‘The one who comes’ is a term for the perfected one.

5.10‘Soto’ti kho, bhante, taṇhāyetaṁ adhivacanaṁ.‘Stream’ is a term for craving.105.11Sā khīṇāsavassa bhikkhuno pahīnā ucchinnamūlā tālāvatthukatā anabhāvaṅkatā āyatiṁ anuppādadhammā.A mendicant who has ended the defilements has given this up, cut it off at the root, made it like a palm stump, and obliterated it, so it’s unable to arise in the future.5.12Tasmā khīṇāsavo bhikkhu ‘chinnasoto’ti vuccati.That’s why a mendicant who has ended the defilements is said to have ‘cut the stream’.

5.13Rāgo kho, bhante, bandhanaṁ, doso bandhanaṁ, moho bandhanaṁ.Greed, hate, and delusion are bonds.5.14Te khīṇāsavassa bhikkhuno pahīnā ucchinnamūlā tālāvatthukatā anabhāvaṅkatā āyatiṁ anuppādadhammā.A mendicant who has ended the defilements has given these up, cut them off at the root, made them like a palm stump, and obliterated them, so they are unable to arise in the future.5.15Tasmā khīṇāsavo bhikkhu ‘abandhano’ti vuccati.That’s why a mendicant who has ended the defilements is called ‘unbound’.

5.16Iti kho, bhante, yaṁ taṁ bhagavatā vuttaṁ:So, sir, that’s how I understand the detailed meaning of what the Buddha said in brief:

6.1‘Nelaṅgo setapacchādo,‘With faultless parts and white canopy,6.2ekāro vattatī ratho;the one-spoked chariot rolls on.6.3Anīghaṁ passa āyantaṁ,See it come, untroubled,6.4chinnasotaṁ abandhanan’ti.with stream cut, unbound.’”

7.1Imassa kho, bhante, bhagavatā saṅkhittena bhāsitassa evaṁ vitthārena atthaṁ ājānāmī”ti.

7.2“Lābhā te, gahapati, suladdhaṁ te, gahapati.“You’re fortunate, householder, so very fortunate,7.3Yassa te gambhīre buddhavacane paññācakkhu kamatī”ti.to traverse the Buddha’s deep teachings with the eye of wisdom.”

7.4Pañcamaṁ.

Translator’s notes

  1. Kāmabhū discussed Dhamma with Ānanda at Ghosita’s Monastery near Kosambī in SN 35.233.

    ↩ sn41.5:1.1

  2. Verses connecting parts of the Dhamma to a chariot are also found at SN 1.46 and SN 45.4.

    ↩ sn41.5:1.2

  3. At Ud 7.5:6.1, upon seeing the enlightened monk Bhaddiya the Dwarf.

    ↩ sn41.5:4.3

  4. Nelaṅga: of “faultless” (na ela) “parts” (aṅga).

    Ela is unusual, perhaps unique, in early Pali. It corresponds to Sanskrit enas, “fault, offense, sin” (Rig Veda 5.3.7; Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa 14.1.1.26). Thus the primary sense of the word is an ethical fault, and it is secondarily applied to the chariot’s parts.

    The “parts” of a chariot are discussed at MN 58:10.3. Ethics is a “part” of the spiritual life (AN 4.196:3.1).

    ↩ sn41.5:5.1

  5. A white canopy was the height of luxurious style (SN 45.4:1.4), like the white parasol held over a prince (Snp 3.11:11.3, AN 3.39:1.5, MN 123:20.2).

    ↩ sn41.5:5.2

  6. Perhaps because mindfulness is always useful (SN 46.53:15.4), or because it leads to unification (MN 10:2.1).

    ↩ sn41.5:5.3

  7. In the original setting, Bhaddiya is seen approaching and thus inspiring the whole verse. The phrase “going forward and coming back” is often used of a mendicant’s deportment, especially when entering the village for alms-round.

    ↩ sn41.5:5.4

  8. Kaṭha Upaniṣad 3.3 says the mind is the charioteer, and the body is the chariot (śarīraṁ ratham eva). This is part of a series of very Buddhist-sounding verses about how when one lacks understanding and mindfulness the senses will be out of control. The image is also used by the Buddha at DN 16:2.25.11.

    ↩ sn41.5:5.5

  9. The Pali anīgha is elsewhere only found in negative. It is sometimes traced to Sanskrit ṛghā, “propensity to violence” (Jamison/Brereton “mettle”). Here, however, the non-negative form is nīgha, casting doubt on that etymology. Sanskrit nīgha does not seem to occur (except as a Buddhist back-formation from anīgha), but we do find nighna in the sense “smiting, striking” (Rig Veda 1.55.5; Atharva Veda 10.1.27). The commentary explains it as “suffering”. “Trouble” and its negative “untroubled” seem to more-or-less fit the Pali cases, although perhaps something like “uncombative” might be more precise.

    ↩ sn41.5:5.6

  10. As at AN 4.5:5.4, Snp 3.11:37.2, Iti 109:3.3.

    ↩ sn41.5:5.10