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The Sages Asita and Nālaka

Nālakasutta

A sutta in two parts. The first part gives an account of events soon after the birth of the Bodhisatta. The second part describes the way of the sage.

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

  • 0.1Sutta Nipāta 3.11Anthology of Discourses 3.11

0.2NālakasuttaAbout Nālaka

1.1Ānandajāte tidasagaṇe patīte,The seer Asita in his daily meditation11.2Sakkañca indaṁ sucivasane ca deve;saw the bright-clad gods of the host of Thirty21.3Dussaṁ gahetvā atiriva thomayante,and their lord Sakka joyfully celebrating,1.4Asito isi addasa divāvihāre.waving streamers in exuberant exaltation.

2.1Disvāna deve muditamane udagge,Seeing the gods rejoicing, elated,2.2Cittiṁ karitvāna idamavoca tattha;he paid respects and said this there:2.3“Kiṁ devasaṅgho atiriva kalyarūpo,“Why is the community of gods <j>in such excellent spirits?2.4Dussaṁ gahetvā ramayatha kiṁ paṭicca.Why take up streamers and whirl them about?

3.1Yadāpi āsī asurehi saṅgamo,Even in the war with the titans,3.2Jayo surānaṁ asurā parājitā;when gods were victorious and titans defeated,3.3Tadāpi netādiso lomahaṁsano,there was no such excitement.3.4Kimabbhutaṁ daṭṭhu marū pamoditā.What marvel have the celestials seen <j>that they so rejoice?

4.1Seḷenti gāyanti ca vādayanti ca,Shouting and singing and playing music,4.2Bhujāni phoṭenti ca naccayanti ca;they clap their hands and dance.4.3Pucchāmi vohaṁ merumuddhavāsine,I ask you, dwellers on Mount Meru’s peak,4.4Dhunātha me saṁsayaṁ khippa mārisā”.quickly dispel my doubt, good fellows!”

5.1“So bodhisatto ratanavaro atulyo,“The being intent on awakening, a peerless gem,5.2Manussaloke hitasukhatthāya jāto;has been born in the human realm <j>for the sake of welfare and happiness,5.3Sakyāna gāme janapade lumbineyye,in Lumbinī, a village in the Sakyan land.5.4Tenamha tuṭṭhā atiriva kalyarūpā.That’s why we’re so happy, in such excellent spirits.

6.1So sabbasattuttamo aggapuggalo,He is supreme among all beings, the peak individual,6.2Narāsabho sabbapajānamuttamo;captain of men, supreme among all creatures.36.3Vattessati cakkamisivhaye vane,He will roll forth the wheel in the grove of the seers,6.4Nadaṁva sīho balavā migābhibhū”.roaring like a mighty lion, lord of beasts.”

7.1Taṁ saddaṁ sutvā turitamavasarī so,Hearing this, he swiftly descended7.2Suddhodanassa tada bhavanaṁ upāvisi;and right away approached Suddhodana’s home.47.3Nisajja tattha idamavocāsi sakye,Seated there he said this to the Sakyans,7.4“Kuhiṁ kumāro ahamapi daṭṭhukāmo”.“Where is the boy? I too wish to see him!”5

8.1Tato kumāraṁ jalitamiva suvaṇṇaṁ,Then the Sakyans showed their son <j>to the one named Asita—8.2Ukkāmukheva sukusalasampahaṭṭhaṁ;the boy shone like burning gold8.3Daddallamānaṁ siriyā anomavaṇṇaṁ,well-wrought in the forge;8.4Dassesu puttaṁ asitavhayassa sakyā.dazzling with glory, of peerless beauty.

9.1Disvā kumāraṁ sikhimiva pajjalantaṁ,The boy beamed like crested flame,9.2Tārāsabhaṁva nabhasigamaṁ visuddhaṁ;pure as the moon, lord of stars traversing the sky,9.3Suriyaṁ tapantaṁ saradarivabbhamuttaṁ,blazing like the sun free of stormclouds <j>after the rains;69.4Ānandajāto vipulamalattha pītiṁ.seeing him, he was joyful, brimming with happiness.

10.1Anekasākhañca sahassamaṇḍalaṁ,The celestials held up a parasol in the sky,10.2Chattaṁ marū dhārayumantalikkhe;many-ribbed and thousand-circled;10.3Suvaṇṇadaṇḍā vītipatanti cāmarā,and golden-handled chowries waved—10.4Na dissare cāmarachattagāhakā.but none could see who held <j>the chowries or the parasols.

11.1Disvā jaṭī kaṇhasirivhayo isi,When the matted hair seer named “Dark Splendor”711.2Suvaṇṇanikkhaṁ viya paṇḍukambale;had seen the boy like a gold ingot on a cream rug811.3Setañca chattaṁ dhariyanta muddhani,with a white parasol held over his head,11.4Udaggacitto sumano paṭiggahe.he received him, elated and happy.

12.1Paṭiggahetvā pana sakyapuṅgavaṁ,Having received the Sakyan bull,12.2Jigīsako lakkhaṇamantapāragū;the seeker, master of marks and hymns,12.3Pasannacitto giramabbhudīrayi,lifted up his voice with confident heart:12.4“Anuttarāyaṁ dvipadānamuttamo”.“He is supreme, the best of men!”

13.1Athattano gamanamanussaranto,But then, remembering he would depart this world,13.2Akalyarūpo gaḷayati assukāni;his spirits fell and his tears flowed.13.3Disvāna sakyā isimavocuṁ rudantaṁ,Seeing the weeping seer, the Sakyans said,13.4“No ce kumāre bhavissati antarāyo”.“Surely there will be no threat to the boy?”

14.1Disvāna sakye isimavoca akalye,Seeing the crestfallen Sakyans, the seer said,14.2“Nāhaṁ kumāre ahitamanussarāmi;“I do not forsee harm befall the boy,14.3Na cāpimassa bhavissati antarāyo,and there will be no threat to him,14.4Na orakāyaṁ adhimānasā bhavātha.not in the least; set your minds at ease.

15.1Sambodhiyaggaṁ phusissatāyaṁ kumāro,This boy shall reach the highest awakening.15.2So dhammacakkaṁ paramavisuddhadassī;As one of perfectly purified vision, <j>compassionate for the welfare of the many,15.3Vattessatāyaṁ bahujanahitānukampī,he shall roll forth the wheel of the teaching;15.4Vitthārikassa bhavissati brahmacariyaṁ.his spiritual path will become widespread.

16.1Mamañca āyu na ciramidhāvaseso,But I have not long left in this life,16.2Athantarā me bhavissati kālakiriyā;I shall die before then.16.3Sohaṁ na sossaṁ asamadhurassa dhammaṁ,I will never hear the teaching of the one <j>who bore the unequaled burden.916.4Tenamhi aṭṭo byasanaṅgato aghāvī”.That’s why I’m so upset and distraught—<j>it’s a disaster for me!”

17.1So sākiyānaṁ vipulaṁ janetvā pītiṁ,Having brought abundant happiness to the Sakyans,17.2Antepuramhā niggamā brahmacārī;the spiritual seeker left the royal compound.17.3So bhāgineyyaṁ sayaṁ anukampamāno,He had a nephew; and out of sympathy17.4Samādapesi asamadhurassa dhamme.he encouraged him in the teaching <j>of the one who bore the unequaled burden.

18.1“Buddhoti ghosaṁ yada parato suṇāsi,“When you hear the voice of another saying <j>‘Buddha’—1018.2Sambodhipatto vivarati dhammamaggaṁ;one who has attained awakening <j>and who reveals the foremost teaching—1118.3Gantvāna tattha samayaṁ paripucchamāno,go there and ask about his breakthrough;1218.4Carassu tasmiṁ bhagavati brahmacariyaṁ”.lead the spiritual life under that Blessed One.”

19.1Tenānusiṭṭho hitamanena tādinā,Now, that Nālaka had a store of accumulated merit;19.2Anāgate paramavisuddhadassinā;so when instructed by one of such kindly intent,1319.3So nālako upacitapuññasañcayo,with perfectly purified vision of the future,19.4Jinaṁ patikkhaṁ parivasi rakkhitindriyo.he waited anticipating the Victor, <j>guarding his senses.

20.1Sutvāna ghosaṁ jinavaracakkavattane,When he heard of the Victor rolling forth <j>the excellent wheel he went to him,20.2Gantvāna disvā isinisabhaṁ pasanno;and seeing the boss seer, he became confident.20.3Moneyyaseṭṭhaṁ munipavaraṁ apucchi,The time of Asita’s instruction had arrived;20.4Samāgate asitāvhayassa sāsaneti.so he asked the excellent sage <j>about the highest sagacity.

20.5Vatthugāthā niṭṭhitā.The introductory verses are finished.

21.1“Aññātametaṁ vacanaṁ,“I now know that Asita’s words21.2Asitassa yathātathaṁ;have turned out to be true.21.3Taṁ taṁ gotama pucchāmi,I ask you this, Gotama,21.4Sabbadhammāna pāraguṁ.who has gone beyond all things:

22.1Anagāriyupetassa,For one who has entered the homeless life,22.2Bhikkhācariyaṁ jigīsato;seeking food on alms round,22.3Muni pabrūhi me puṭṭho,when questioned, O sage, please tell me22.4Moneyyaṁ uttamaṁ padaṁ”.of sagacity, the ultimate state.”14

23.1“Moneyyaṁ te upaññissaṁ,“I shall school you in sagacity,”23.2(iti bhagavā)said the Buddha,23.3Dukkaraṁ durabhisambhavaṁ;“so difficult and challenging.23.4Handa te naṁ pavakkhāmi,Come, I shall tell you all about it.23.5Santhambhassu daḷho bhava.Brace yourself; stay strong!

24.1Samānabhāgaṁ kubbetha,In the village, keep the same attitude24.2Gāme akkuṭṭhavanditaṁ;no matter if reviled or praised.24.3Manopadosaṁ rakkheyya,Guard against ill-tempered thoughts;24.4Santo anuṇṇato care.wander peaceful and humble.

25.1Uccāvacā niccharanti,Many different things come up,1525.2Dāye aggisikhūpamā;like tongues of fire in a forest.25.3Nāriyo muniṁ palobhenti,Women try to seduce a sage—25.4Tā su taṁ mā palobhayuṁ.let them not seduce you!

26.1Virato methunā dhammā,Refraining from sex,26.2Hitvā kāme paropare;having left behind sensual pleasures high and low,26.3Aviruddho asāratto,don’t be hostile or attached26.4Pāṇesu tasathāvare.to living creatures firm or frail.

27.1Yathā ahaṁ tathā ete,‘As am I, so are they;27.2Yathā ete tathā ahaṁ;as are they, so am I’—27.3Attānaṁ upamaṁ katvā,Treating others like oneself,27.4Na haneyya na ghātaye.neither kill nor incite to kill.

28.1Hitvā icchañca lobhañca,Leaving behind desire and greed28.2Yattha satto puthujjano;for what ordinary people are attached to,1628.3Cakkhumā paṭipajjeyya,one whose eye is clear would set out to practice,28.4Tareyya narakaṁ imaṁ.they’d cross over this abyss.17

29.1Ūnūdaro mitāhāro,With empty stomach, taking limited food,29.2Appicchassa alolupo;few in wishes, not greedy;29.3Sadā icchāya nicchāto,truly hungerless regarding all desires,1829.4Aniccho hoti nibbuto.desireless, one is quenched.

30.1Sa piṇḍacāraṁ caritvā,Having wandered for alms,30.2Vanantamabhihāraye;they’d take themselves into the forest;30.3Upaṭṭhito rukkhamūlasmiṁ,and nearing the foot of a tree,30.4Āsanūpagato muni.the sage would take their seat.

31.1Sa jhānapasuto dhīro,That attentive one intent on absorption,31.2Vanante ramito siyā;would delight within the forest.31.3Jhāyetha rukkhamūlasmiṁ,They’d practice absorption at the foot of a tree,31.4Attānamabhitosayaṁ.filling themselves with bliss.

32.1Tato ratyā vivasāne,Then, at the end of the night,32.2Gāmantamabhihāraye;they’d take themselves into a village.32.3Avhānaṁ nābhinandeyya,They’d not welcome being called,1932.4Abhihārañca gāmato.nor offerings brought from the village.

33.1Na munī gāmamāgamma,A sage who has come to a village33.2Kulesu sahasā care;would not walk hastily among the families.2033.3Ghāsesanaṁ chinnakatho,They’d not discuss their search for food,33.4Na vācaṁ payutaṁ bhaṇe.nor would they speak suggestively.

34.1Alatthaṁ yadidaṁ sādhu,‘I got something, that’s good.34.2Nālatthaṁ kusalaṁ iti;I got nothing, that’s fine.’34.3Ubhayeneva so tādī,Unaffected in both cases,34.4Rukkhaṁvupanivattati.they return right to the tree.

35.1Sa pattapāṇi vicaranto,Wandering with bowl in hand,35.2Amūgo mūgasammato;not dumb, but thought to be dumb,35.3Appaṁ dānaṁ na hīḷeyya,they wouldn’t scorn a tiny gift,35.4Dātāraṁ nāvajāniyā.nor look down upon the giver.

36.1Uccāvacā hi paṭipadā,For the practice has many aspects,2136.2Samaṇena pakāsitā;as revealed by the Ascetic.2236.3Na pāraṁ diguṇaṁ yanti,They do not go to the far shore twice,2336.4Nayidaṁ ekaguṇaṁ mutaṁ.nor having gone once do they fall away.24

37.1Yassa ca visatā natthi,When a mendicant has no creeping,37.2Chinnasotassa bhikkhuno;and has cut the stream of craving,37.3Kiccākiccappahīnassa,and given up all the various duties,37.4Pariḷāho na vijjati.no fever is found in them.

38.1Moneyyaṁ te upaññissaṁ,I shall school you in sagacity.2538.2Khuradhārūpamo bhave;Practice as if you were licking a razor’s edge.38.3Jivhāya tālumāhacca,With tongue pressed against the roof of your mouth,38.4Udare saññato siyā.be restrained regarding your stomach.

39.1Alīnacitto ca siyā,Don’t be sluggish in mind,39.2Na cāpi bahu cintaye;nor think overly much.39.3Nirāmagandho asito,Be free of putrefaction and unattached,39.4Brahmacariyaparāyaṇo.committed to the spiritual life.

40.1Ekāsanassa sikkhetha,Train in a lonely seat,40.2Samaṇūpāsanassa ca;attending closely to ascetics;40.3Ekattaṁ monamakkhātaṁ,solitude is sagacity, they say.40.4Eko ce abhiramissasi;If you welcome solitude,40.5Atha bhāhisi dasadisā.you’ll light up the ten directions.

41.1Sutvā dhīrānaṁ nighosaṁ,Having heard the words of the attentive,2641.2Jhāyīnaṁ kāmacāginaṁ;the meditators who’ve given up sensual desires,41.3Tato hiriñca saddhañca,a follower of mine would develop41.4Bhiyyo kubbetha māmako.conscience and faith all the more.

42.1Taṁ nadīhi vijānātha,Understand this by the way streams move42.2Sobbhesu padaresu ca;in clefts and crevices:42.3Saṇantā yanti kusobbhā,the little creeks flow on resounding,42.4Tuṇhī yanti mahodadhī.while silent flow the great rivers.

43.1Yadūnakaṁ taṁ saṇati,What is lacking, resounds;2743.2Yaṁ pūraṁ santameva taṁ;what is full is at peace.43.3Aḍḍhakumbhūpamo bālo,The fool is like a half-full pot;43.4Rahado pūrova paṇḍito.the wise like a brimfull lake.

44.1Yaṁ samaṇo bahuṁ bhāsati,When the Ascetic speaks much44.2Upetaṁ atthasañhitaṁ;it is relevant and meaningful:44.3Jānaṁ so dhammaṁ deseti,knowing, he teaches the Dhamma;44.4Jānaṁ so bahu bhāsati.knowing, he speaks much.

45.1Yo ca jānaṁ saṁyatatto,But one who, knowing, is self-controlled,45.2Jānaṁ na bahu bhāsati;knowing, does not speak much;45.3Sa munī monamarahati,that sage is worthy of sagacity,45.4Sa munī monamajjhagā”ti.that sage has achieved sagacity.”

45.5Nālakasuttaṁ ekādasamaṁ.

Translator’s notes

  1. Asita means “dark one”. He is an example of the “dark hermit” archetype.

    ↩ snp3.11:1.1

  2. Bodhi and Norman follow the PTS reading sakkacca here, but it seems uncharacteristic to me. Why mention they have just honored Indra? On the other hand, it’s common to express “a group with its leader”.

    ↩ snp3.11:1.2

  3. Narāsabha is literally “a bull of a man”, but the predominant sense is “chief”, “lord” rather than “bull”. Vṛṣabha was widely used in this sense as far back as the Rig Veda, unlike English, where “bull” conveys quite a different set of connotations. The same is true of its synonyms janavasabha and purisnisabha, but not purisūsabho at Bu Pj 1:10.21.4.

    ↩ snp3.11:6.2

  4. Notice the use of the humble bhavana rather than the royal pasāda. There is an almost complete lack of royal language in this text, the sole exception being the antepura (“royal compound”) in Snp 3.11:17.2.

    ↩ snp3.11:7.2

  5. In DN 14:1.31.3, the bodhisatta Vipassī is examined by a number of brahmins.

    ↩ snp3.11:7.4

  6. Here, as so often, “autumn” (per Bodhi and Norman) conveys quite the wrong impression. Autumn is the time of gathering clouds, sarada is the time after the rains.

    ↩ snp3.11:9.3

  7. Jaṭī is an abbreviated form of jaṭila, a matted hair ascetic, usually Brahmanical.

    ↩ snp3.11:11.1

  8. The commentary glosses paṇḍu as ratta (“red”), followed by both Norman (“pale red”) and Bodhi. But paṇḍu means “pale, white, cream, yellowish” and I can’t see anywhere in Pali or Sanskrit to suggest a meaning “red”.

    ↩ snp3.11:11.2

  9. Neither Bodhi’s “fortitude” nor Norman’s “peerless one” quite capture the force of asamadhura. The implication is that, as the forger of the path, the Buddha carries a burden greater than any other.

    ↩ snp3.11:16.3

  10. Note the idiom parato ghosaṁ here.

    ↩ snp3.11:18.1

  11. This is a succinct definition of buddha, not an alternate thing that you might hear people say, per Bodhi and Norman.

    ↩ snp3.11:18.2

  12. Both Norman and Bodhi have “doctrine” here, while commentary is silent. I’m not aware of samaya in the sense of “doctrine” in the early texts, nor is it listed in the senses of samaya in the commentarial analysis in the Dhammasaṅgaṇī commentary, Kāmāvacarakusala. Given that the concern in previous lines is the notion of an awakened one, surely we have here an abbreviated abhisamaya i.e. “breakthrough, enlightenment experience”.

    ↩ snp3.11:18.3

  13. I find it curious that this epithet is used of both the Buddha and Asita.

    ↩ snp3.11:19.2

  14. Bodhi accepts the commentarial gloss of pada as paṭipadā here, but I find his reasoning unconvincing. Yes, the text speaks of practice, but this correlates to the first part of the answer. Here, at the end of the question, it relates to the end of the text, which speaks of the state of sagacity.

    ↩ snp3.11:22.4

  15. Note that, despite the etymology, uccāvaca seems to be used more in the sense of “diversity” rather than “high and low”; eg. the colors of a rainbow. Here all things are like tongues of flame, i.e. there are many different ones, but they are not treated as better or worse.

    ↩ snp3.11:25.1

  16. As other instances of this line make clear, the referent of yattha is kāmā, i.e. the pleasures of the senses, not the desire and greed (of the previous line). Bodhi gets this nuance right, Norman does not.

    ↩ snp3.11:28.2

  17. For naraka here, Bodhi has “inferno”, Norman “hell”; but the metaphor of “crossing over” better fits the normal sense of “cliff” or “abyss” (MN 49:5.9, MN 86:6.15, Thag 16.8:4.2). Notably, naraka is not strongly attested in the sense of “hell” for pre-Buddhist Sanskrit either, although we do find nāraka, apparently in the sense of “hell being”, at Atharva Veda 12.4.36c and Śukla Yajur Veda 30.5.

    ↩ snp3.11:28.4

  18. Read sa ve.

    ↩ snp3.11:29.3

  19. This line and the next echo the practices of Jain ascetics: naehibhaddantiko, natiṭṭhabhaddantiko, nābhihaṭaṁ. The sense of the first two terms is similar to avhāna, while the last of these terms is the same as abhihāra in the next line.

    ↩ snp3.11:32.3

  20. Bodhi’s “should not behave rashly” and Norman’s “should not pursue his search for food inconsiderately” confuse a plain meaning. When on alms round a mendicant should not walk too fast, else the families have no time to ready the food.

    ↩ snp3.11:33.2

  21. As above, uccāvaca probably means “diverse” practices rather than “high and low” per commentary followed by Bodhi and Norman. The only usage of uccāvaca in the context of practice is the “diverse duties” performed by mendicants for their fellows (eg. DN 33:3.3.17).

    ↩ snp3.11:36.1

  22. Norman’s proposal that this is not the Buddha is implausible.

    ↩ snp3.11:36.2

  23. This verse is quoted by the Kathāvatthu (Kv 1.2:113.1) to refute the thesis that an arahant might fall away from their attainment. This is overlooked by both Bodhi and Norman, although it evidently underlies the commentary.

    ↩ snp3.11:36.3

  24. Both Bodhi and Norman discuss this line, without any compelling conclusion. The problematic mutaṁ cannot mean “experienced” per Bodhi and Norman following the commentary. Since the Kathāvatthu is by far the earliest source on this verse, I suggest we adopt its reading that the verse is about “falling away”, and amend mutaṁ to cutaṁ.

    ↩ snp3.11:36.4

  25. The PTS edition, as does the BJT, has a reciter’s remark here identifying the speaker as the Buddha, and this is translated without comment by Norman and Bodhi. It is unusual, if not unique, to find such a mark in the middle of a series of verses by one speaker. The Mahāsaṅgīti edition, following the VRI, lacks this remark and I have translated accordingly.

    ↩ snp3.11:38.1

  26. By forcing the commentary’s sense of kitti into nigghosa, Bodhi and Norman confuse a simple meaning. Nighosa (more commonly spelled nigghosa) just means “word, teaching, statement”, eg. tava sutvāna nigghosaṁ “having heard your teaching”.

    ↩ snp3.11:41.1

  27. Quoted at Mil 7.8.1:2.1.

    ↩ snp3.11:43.1