SN 6.1PTS (1st ed) SN 1.1364 min read

The Appeal of the Divinity

Brahmāyācanasutta

After his awakening, the Buddha hesitated to teach, thinking that the Dhamma is too subtle for people to understand. But the high divinity Brahmā Sahampati appears and encourages him to teach, pointing out that there are some with “little dust in their eyes” who will understand.

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

0.1Saṁyutta Nikāya 6.1Linked Discourses 6.1
0.21. Paṭhamavagga1. The Appeal

0.3BrahmāyācanasuttaThe Appeal of the Divinity

1.1Evaṁ me sutaṁ—So I have heard.¹1.2ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā uruvelāyaṁ viharati najjā nerañjarāya tīre ajapālanigrodhamūle paṭhamābhisambuddho.At one time, when he was first awakened, the Buddha was staying in Uruvelā at the root of the goatherd’s banyan tree on the bank of the Nerañjarā River.

1.3Atha kho bhagavato rahogatassa paṭisallīnassa evaṁ cetaso parivitakko udapādi:Then as he was in private retreat this thought came to his mind,1.4“adhigato kho myāyaṁ dhammo gambhīro duddaso duranubodho santo paṇīto atakkāvacaro nipuṇo paṇḍitavedanīyo.“This principle I have discovered is deep, hard to see, hard to understand, peaceful, sublime, beyond the scope of logic, subtle, comprehensible to the astute.1.5Ālayarāmā kho panāyaṁ pajā ālayaratā ālayasammuditā.But people like clinging, they love it and enjoy it.1.6Ālayarāmāya kho pana pajāya ālayaratāya ālayasammuditāya duddasaṁ idaṁ ṭhānaṁ yadidaṁ idappaccayatāpaṭiccasamuppādo.It’s hard for them to see this topic; that is, specific conditionality, dependent origination.²1.7Idampi kho ṭhānaṁ duddasaṁ yadidaṁ sabbasaṅkhārasamatho sabbūpadhipaṭinissaggo taṇhākkhayo virāgo nirodho nibbānaṁ.It’s also hard for them to see this topic; that is, the stilling of all activities, the letting go of all attachments, the ending of craving, fading away, cessation, extinguishment.1.8Ahañceva kho pana dhammaṁ deseyyaṁ; pare ca me na ājāneyyuṁ; so mamassa kilamatho, sā mamassa vihesā”ti.And if I were to teach this principle, others might not understand me, which would be wearying and troublesome for me.”³

1.9Apissu bhagavantaṁ imā anacchariyā gāthāyo paṭibhaṁsu pubbe assutapubbā:And then these verses, which were neither supernaturally inspired, nor learned before in the past, occurred to the Buddha:⁴

2.1“Kicchena me adhigataṁ,“I’ve struggled hard to realize this,2.2halaṁ dāni pakāsituṁ;there’s no need to reveal it now!2.3Rāgadosaparetehi,Those mired in greed and hate2.4nāyaṁ dhammo susambudho.can’t really understand this teaching.
3.1Paṭisotagāmiṁ nipuṇaṁ,It goes against the stream, subtle,3.2gambhīraṁ duddasaṁ aṇuṁ;deep, obscure, and very fine.3.3Rāgarattā na dakkhanti,Those besotted by greed cannot see,3.4tamokhandhena āvuṭā”ti.for they’re cloaked in a mass of darkness.”

4.1Itiha bhagavato paṭisañcikkhato appossukkatāya cittaṁ namati, no dhammadesanāya.And as the Buddha reflected like this, his mind inclined to remaining passive, not to teaching the Dhamma.⁵

5.1Atha kho brahmuno sahampatissa bhagavato cetasā cetoparivitakkamaññāya etadahosi:Then, knowing the Buddha’s train of thought, it occurred to the divinity Sahampati,⁶5.2“nassati vata bho loko, vinassati vata bho loko, yatra hi nāma tathāgatassa arahato sammāsambuddhassa appossukkatāya cittaṁ namati, no dhammadesanāyā”ti.“Oh lord! The world will be lost, the world will perish! For the mind of the Realized One, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha, inclines to remaining passive, not to teaching the Dhamma.”⁷

5.3Atha kho brahmā sahampati—seyyathāpi nāma balavā puriso samiñjitaṁ vā bāhaṁ pasāreyya, pasāritaṁ vā bāhaṁ samiñjeyya; evameva—brahmaloke antarahito bhagavato purato pāturahosi.Then, as easily as a strong person would extend or contract their arm, he vanished from the realm of divinity and reappeared in front of the Buddha.5.4Atha kho brahmā sahampati ekaṁsaṁ uttarāsaṅgaṁ karitvā dakkhiṇajāṇumaṇḍalaṁ pathaviyaṁ nihantvā yena bhagavā tenañjaliṁ paṇāmetvā bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:He arranged his robe over one shoulder, knelt on his right knee, raised his joined palms toward the Buddha, and said:

5.5“desetu, bhante, bhagavā dhammaṁ, desetu sugato dhammaṁ.“Sir, let the Blessed One teach the Dhamma! Let the Holy One teach the Dhamma!5.6Santi sattā apparajakkhajātikā, assavanatā dhammassa parihāyanti.There are beings with little dust in their eyes. They’re in decline because they haven’t heard the teaching.5.7Bhavissanti dhammassa aññātāro”ti.There will be those who understand the teaching!”⁸

5.8Idamavoca brahmā sahampati, idaṁ vatvā athāparaṁ etadavoca:That is what the divinity Sahampati said. Then he went on to say:

6.1“Pāturahosi magadhesu pubbe,“Among the Magadhans there appeared in the past6.2Dhammo asuddho samalehi cintito;an impure teaching thought up by the stained.⁹6.3Apāpuretaṁ amatassa dvāraṁ,Fling open the door to freedom from death!¹⁰6.4Suṇantu dhammaṁ vimalenānubuddhaṁ.Let them hear the teaching <j>the immaculate one discovered.
7.1Sele yathā pabbatamuddhaniṭṭhito,Standing high on a rocky mountain,7.2Yathāpi passe janataṁ samantato;you can see the people all around.7.3Tathūpamaṁ dhammamayaṁ sumedha,In just the same way, All-seer, so intelligent,7.4Pāsādamāruyha samantacakkhu;having ascended the Temple of Truth,7.5Sokāvatiṇṇaṁ janatamapetasoko,rid of sorrow, look upon the people7.6Avekkhassu jātijarābhibhūtaṁ.swamped with sorrow, <j>overcome by rebirth and old age.
8.1Uṭṭhehi vīra vijitasaṅgāma,Rise, hero! Victor in battle, caravan leader,¹¹8.2Satthavāha anaṇa vicara loke;wander the world free of debt.¹²8.3Desassu bhagavā dhammaṁ,Let the Blessed One teach the Dhamma!8.4Aññātāro bhavissantī”ti.There will be those who understand!”

9.1Atha kho bhagavā brahmuno ca ajjhesanaṁ viditvā sattesu ca kāruññataṁ paṭicca buddhacakkhunā lokaṁ volokesi.Then the Buddha, understanding the Divinity’s invitation, surveyed the world with the eye of a Buddha, out of his compassion for sentient beings.9.2Addasā kho bhagavā buddhacakkhunā lokaṁ volokento satte apparajakkhe mahārajakkhe tikkhindriye mudindriye svākāre dvākāre suviññāpaye duviññāpaye, appekacce paralokavajjabhayadassāvine viharante, appekacce na paralokavajjabhayadassāvine viharante.And the Buddha saw sentient beings with little dust in their eyes, and some with much dust in their eyes; with keen faculties and with weak faculties, with good qualities and with bad qualities, easy to teach and hard to teach. And some of them lived seeing the danger in the fault to do with the next world, while others did not.¹³

9.3Seyyathāpi nāma uppaliniyaṁ vā paduminiyaṁ vā puṇḍarīkiniyaṁ vā appekaccāni uppalāni vā padumāni vā puṇḍarīkāni vā udake jātāni udake saṁvaḍḍhāni udakānuggatāni anto nimuggaposīni, appekaccāni uppalāni vā padumāni vā puṇḍarīkāni vā udake jātāni udake saṁvaḍḍhāni samodakaṁ ṭhitāni, appekaccāni uppalāni vā padumāni vā puṇḍarīkāni vā udake jātāni udake saṁvaḍḍhāni udakā accuggamma ṭhitāni anupalittāni udakena;It’s like a pool with blue water lilies, or pink or white lotuses. Some of them sprout and grow in the water without rising above it, thriving underwater. Some of them sprout and grow in the water reaching the water’s surface. And some of them sprout and grow in the water but rise up above the water and stand with no water clinging to them.

9.4evameva bhagavā buddhacakkhunā lokaṁ volokento addasa satte apparajakkhe mahārajakkhe tikkhindriye mudindriye svākāre dvākāre suviññāpaye duviññāpaye, appekacce paralokavajjabhayadassāvine viharante, appekacce na paralokavajjabhayadassāvine viharante.In the same way, the Buddha saw sentient beings with little dust in their eyes, and some with much dust in their eyes; with keen faculties and with weak faculties, with good qualities and with bad qualities, easy to teach and hard to teach. And some of them lived seeing the danger in the fault to do with the next world, while others did not.

9.5Disvāna brahmānaṁ sahampatiṁ gāthāya paccabhāsi:When he had seen this he replied in verse to the divinity Sahampati:

10.1“Apārutā tesaṁ amatassa dvārā,“Flung open are the doors to freedom from death!10.2Ye sotavanto pamuñcantu saddhaṁ;Let those with ears to hear commit to faith.¹⁴10.3Vihiṁsasaññī paguṇaṁ na bhāsiṁ,Thinking it would be troublesome, Divinity, <j>I did not teach10.4Dhammaṁ paṇītaṁ manujesu brahme”ti.the sophisticated, sublime Dhamma among mankind.”

11.1Atha kho brahmā sahampati “katāvakāso khomhi bhagavatā dhammadesanāyā”ti bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā padakkhiṇaṁ katvā tatthevantaradhāyīti.Then the divinity Sahampati, knowing that his request for the Buddha to teach the Dhamma had been granted, bowed and respectfully circled the Buddha, keeping him on his right, before vanishing right there.

Translator’s notes

A similar account is told of Gotama Buddha at MN 26:19.2, MN 85:43.2, and Kd 1:5.2.2, and of Vipassī at DN 14:3.1.4.
↩ sn6.1:1.1
“Specific conditionality” (idappaccayatā) refers to the fact that dependent origination traces the specific conditions for other specific things: this conditions that. It is not a general principle of universal conditionality (“everything is interconnected”).
Dependent origination (paṭiccasamuppāda) is treated throughout SN 12.
↩ sn6.1:1.6
Up to this point, the Bodhisatta has been solely concerned with finding the answer to his quest, and only now does he think of sharing it with others. The idea that he had made an aspiration for Buddhahood in the long ago past out of a desire to help all sentient beings is not supported in early texts.
↩ sn6.1:1.8
“Not supernaturally inspired” (anacchariyā) rejects the Vedic “channeling” of scripture from the Divinity, while “not learned before in the past” (pubbe assutapubbā), echoing the Dhammacakkappavattanasutta (SN 56.11:5.1), rejects the oral tradition.
↩ sn6.1:1.9
Had he followed this inclination he would have been a paccekabuddha, a Buddha “awakened for himself”.
↩ sn6.1:4.1
While Sahampati features prominently in the suttas, no deity of that name is found in early Brahmanical texts. He seems, however, to be the Buddhist version of Brahmā Svayambhū, the “Self-born Divinity”, to whom Yājñavalkya traces the authority of his teaching lineage (Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 2.6.3, 4.5.3, 6.5.4). Yājñavalkya identifies this “self-born” with the sun (Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa 1.9.3.16; see also Maitrāyaṇī Saṁhitā 4.6.6) and with Prajāpati (13.5.3.1). Explaining the origin of the soma rite of the “All-Sacrifice”, he says that Brahmā Svayambhū, while performing fervent austerities, decided to offer his self to all creatures and all creatures to his self, thus establishing lordship (adhipatya) over all creatures (Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa 13.7.1.1). The root pati (“lord”) here establishes a linguistic link with sahampati. Further, in the earliest use of svayambhū at Rig Veda 10.83.4, the “self-born” deity Manyu “prevails” (sahuriḥ sahāvān) in battle. Thus we can identify Sahampati, the “Lord Who Prevails”, with the highest divinity recognized by Yājñavalkya, who originated as victor in battle, whose physical manifestation is the sun, whose spiritual function is to imbue all creatures with divinity, and who serves as the ultimate source of authority. Meanwhile, the epithet sayambhū was taken for the Buddha (Kd 11:35.1.37).
↩ sn6.1:5.1
Having surpassed the greatest of the Brahmanical contemplatives, the Buddha’s achievement is recognized by the chief Brahmanical divinity.
The Pali vata bho works much like the English exclamation “oh lord” as an appeal to authority (bho), often in a purely rhetorical sense.
↩ sn6.1:5.2
Sahampati is the one who recognizes the potential in all beings, since it was he who imbued them with divinity. He did this to ensure dominance, but now his motive has transformed into compassion.
↩ sn6.1:5.7
The “impure teaching” was, according to the commentary, that of the six ascetic teachers, who are regularly associated with Magadha (eg. SN 2.30, Snp 3.6, DN 2). Less likely it refers to Brahmanical teachers like Āḷāra Kālāma and Uddaka Rāmaputta, who are more closely associated with Kosala and whose system is regarded as passed down rather than “thought up”.
↩ sn6.1:6.2
“Freedom from death” (amata, Sanskrit amṛta) is yet another Brahmanical term transformed by the Buddha. Its Vedic meaning was “immortality”, and hence the “ambrosia” of soma through which immortality was gained. For the Buddha, as seen in the “noble quest” itself, it was the freedom from the cycles of birth, aging, and death.
↩ sn6.1:6.3
Here we see a verbal echo of Sahampati’s martial origins.
↩ sn6.1:8.1
A “caravan leader” (satthavāha) guides their flock through treacherous deserts and wastelands, as illustrated at DN 23:23.3.
Anaṇa (“debtless”) is a technical term in the Vedic system. According to Manu 6.35–7, a renunciate must first pay off three debts: study of Vedas, begetting a son, and offering of sacrifices. One who goes forth with these debts unpaid is headed for a downfall. The Buddha has indeed paid off all these debts: he studied the Vedas under his former teachers (MN 26:15.6); he has a son Rāhula; and his path is regarded as the highest form of sacrifice (DN 5:24.1). But in Buddhism the concept is reinterpreted as meaning one has let go of all defilements, becoming a “perfected”, literally “worthy” one, after which one can eat almsfood free of debt (MN 124:38.1, SN 16.11:13.2).
↩ sn6.1:8.2
Here we see the sense of indriya as “spiritual potential”. Originally it was the state of excited energy produced by soma that allowed Indra to manifest his full power and overcome his foes. It implicitly links back to the five spiritual qualities that the Buddha attributed to his teachers, which he later formalized as “faculties”. Here as there, the idea creates a connection between beings, a recognition of shared qualities that, when properly nurtured, can mature into awakening.
For the “fault to do with the next world” see AN 2.1.
↩ sn6.1:9.2
Pamuñcantu saddhaṁ has long troubled translators, as the basic sense of pamuñcantu is “release”. The problem is a long-standing one, for Sanskrit variants include pramodantu (“celebrate”) or praṇudantu kāṅkṣāḥ (“dispel doubts”). I think it is a poetic variant of adhimuñcantu, to “decide” or “commit” to faith; it is extremely common in Pali to use a synonymous verb to reinforce the sense of the noun. In Snp 5.19, muttasaddho, pamuñcassu saddhaṁ, and adhimuttacittaṁ are all used in this sense.
↩ sn6.1:10.2