Thag 1.401 min read

Vaḍḍhamāna

Vaḍḍhamānattheragāthā

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

0.1Theragāthā 1.40Verses of the Senior Monks 1.40
0.2EkakanipātaThe Book of the Ones
0.3CatutthavaggaChapter Four

0.4VaḍḍhamānattheragāthāVaḍḍhamāna

1.1“Sattiyā viya omaṭṭho,Like they’re struck by a sword,¹1.2ḍayhamānova matthake;like their head was on fire,1.3Bhavarāgappahānāya,a mendicant should wander mindful,1.4sato bhikkhu paribbaje”ti.to give up desire for rebirth.

1.5… Vaḍḍhamāno thero …

1.6vaggo catuttho.

2.0Tassuddānaṁ

2.1Gahvaratīriyo suppiyo,2.2sopāko ceva posiyo;2.3Sāmaññakāni kumāputto,2.4kumāputtasahāyako;2.5Gavampati tissatthero,2.6vaḍḍhamāno mahāyasoti.

Translator’s notes

This Vaḍḍhamāna is unknown elsewhere. According to the commentary, as a layman, he committed such an offense that the Buddha resorted to the rather extreme means of overturning the bowl against him, “like stepping on a fire”. He repented, asked forgiveness, and later ordained. But he was lazy so the Buddha urged him with this verse. The commentary says he was born in royal Licchavī family of Vesālī. The Jain founder Mahāvīra Vardhamāna was said to have been born near Vesālī, and his mother was a Licchavī. Perhaps this verse was intended to belittle the Jain founder, but the commentary does not link the two.
↩ thag1.40:1.1