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Ud 5.2PTS Ud 471 min read

Short-lived

Appāyukasutta

Ven. Ānanda comments on how the Buddha’s mother died shortly after his birth.

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

  • 0.1Udāna 5.2Heartfelt Sayings 5.2

0.2AppāyukasuttaShort-lived

1.1Evaṁ me sutaṁ—So I have heard.1.2ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme.At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery.1.3Atha kho āyasmā ānando sāyanhasamayaṁ paṭisallānā vuṭṭhito yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā ānando bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:Then in the late afternoon, Venerable Ānanda came out of retreat and went to the Buddha. He bowed, sat down to one side, and said to him:1.4“acchariyaṁ, bhante, abbhutaṁ, bhante.“It’s incredible, sir, it’s amazing!1.5Yāva appāyukā hi, bhante, bhagavato mātā ahosi, sattāhajāte bhagavati bhagavato mātā kālamakāsi, tusitaṁ kāyaṁ upapajjī”ti.How short-lived was the Blessed One’s mother! For seven days after the Blessed One was born, his mother passed away and was reborn in the host of joyful gods.”1

2.1“Evametaṁ, ānanda, appāyukā hi, ānanda, bodhisattamātaro honti.“That’s so true, Ānanda! For the mothers of beings intent of awakening are short-lived.22.2Sattāhajātesu bodhisattesu bodhisattamātaro kālaṁ karonti, tusitaṁ kāyaṁ upapajjantī”ti.Seven days after the beings intent on awakening are born, their mothers pass away and are reborn in the host of joyful gods.”

3.1Atha kho bhagavā etamatthaṁ viditvā tāyaṁ velāyaṁ imaṁ udānaṁ udānesi:Then, understanding this matter, on that occasion the Buddha expressed this heartfelt sentiment:

4.1“Ye keci bhūtā bhavissanti ye vāpi,“Whether born or to be born,4.2Sabbe gamissanti pahāya dehaṁ;all depart, leaving the body behind.4.3Taṁ sabbajāniṁ kusalo viditvā,The skillful, understanding that all is lost,4.4Ātāpiyo brahmacariyaṁ careyyā”ti.would keenly practice the spiritual life.”

4.5Dutiyaṁ.

Translator’s notes

  1. Here I use “Blessed One” rather than my usual “Buddha” for bhagavā. Normally the difference is immaterial, as it is simply the most common way to address the Buddha. In this case, however, the passage Ānanda is referring to uses bodhisatta, and it is quite striking that he changes it here.

    ↩ ud5.2:1.5
  2. The Buddha switches back to bodhisatta, and depersonalizes it by using the plural.

    ↩ ud5.2:2.1