2025-05-21
DN 16: Mahākassapattheravatthu (excerpt)
Tena kho pana samayena āyasmā mahākassapo pāvāya kusināraṁ
addhānamaggappaṭipanno hoti mahatā bhikkhusaṅghena saddhiṁ
pañcamattehi bhikkhusatehi. Atha kho āyasmā mahākassapo
maggā okkamma aññatarasmiṁ rukkhamūle nisīdi.
| Tena | Instrumental singular demonstrative pronoun | By that |
| kho pana | Indeclinable particles | Indeed, moreover |
| samayena | Instrumental singular noun | Time, occasion |
| pāvāya | Ablative singular noun | From Pāvā |
| kusināraṁ | Accusative singular noun | To Kusināra |
| addhānamagga- | Compound noun | Long road |
| -ppaṭipanno | Past participle, nominative singular | Set out on |
| hoti | Present tense verb | Is |
| mahatā | Instrumental singular adjective | Great |
| bhikkhusaṅghena | Instrumental singular compound noun | With community of monks |
| saddhiṁ | Indeclinable | Together with |
| pañcamattehi | Instrumental plural adjective | About five |
| bhikkhusatehi | Instrumental plural compound noun | Hundred monks |
| atha kho | Indeclinable particles | Then |
| maggā | Ablative singular noun | From the path |
| okkamma | Absolutive | Having stepped aside |
| aññatarasmiṁ | Locative singular adjective | At a certain |
| rukkhamūle | Locative singular compound noun | At the foot of a tree |
| nisīdi | Past tense verb | Sat down |
Tena kho pana samayena aññataro ājīvako kusinārāya
mandāravapupphaṁ gahetvā pāvaṁ addhānamaggappaṭipanno hoti.
Addasā kho āyasmā mahākassapo taṁ ājīvakaṁ dūratova āgacchantaṁ,
disvā taṁ ājīvakaṁ etadavoca: "apāvuso, amhākaṁ satthāraṁ jānāsī"ti?
"Āmāvuso, jānāmi, ajja sattāhaparinibbuto samaṇo gotamo. Tato me
idaṁ mandāravapupphaṁ gahitan"ti.
| tena kho pana | Indeclinable particles | At that |
| samayena | Instrumental singular noun | Time |
| aññataro | Nominative singular adjective | A certain |
| ājīvako | Nominative singular noun | Ājīvaka ascetic |
| kusinārāya | Ablative singular noun | From Kusināra |
| mandārava- | Compound element | Coral tree |
| -pupphaṁ | Accusative singular noun | Flower |
| gahetvā | Absolutive | Having taken |
| pāvaṁ | Accusative singular noun | To Pāvā |
| addasā | Past tense verb | Saw |
| dūrato-va | Ablative adverb + emphatic particle | From afar indeed |
| āgacchantaṁ | Present participle, accusative singular | Coming |
| disvā | Absolutive | Having seen |
| etad- | Demonstrative pronoun base | This |
| -avoca | Past tense verb | Said |
| amhākaṁ | Genitive plural pronoun | Our |
| satthāraṁ | Accusative singular noun | Teacher |
| jānāsi | Present tense verb, 2nd person singular | Do you know |
| āma | Indeclinable | Yes |
| āvuso | Vocative singular | Friend |
| jānāmi | Present tense verb, 1st person singular | I know |
| ajja | Indeclinable | Today |
| sattāha- | Compound element | Seven days |
| -parinibbuto | Past participle, nominative singular | Attained parinibbāna |
| tato | Ablative pronoun | From that |
| gahitaṁ | Past participle, nominative singular | Taken |
Tattha ye te bhikkhū avītarāgā
appekacce bāhā paggayha kandanti, chinnapātaṁ papatanti, āvaṭṭanti,
vivaṭṭanti: "atikhippaṁ bhagavā parinibbuto, atikhippaṁ sugato
parinibbuto, atikhippaṁ cakkhuṁ loke antarahito"ti. Ye pana te bhikkhū
vītarāgā, te satā sampajānā adhivāsenti: "aniccā saṅkhārā, taṁ kutettha labbhā"ti.
| kutettha (sandhi) | What in this regard? lit. from where here [kuto + ettha] |
| taṁ kutettha labbhā (idom) | What can be gained from that? [taṁ + kuto + ettha + labbhā] |
| What else is there to expect? |
| tattha | Indeclinable | There |
| ye te | Nominative plural demonstrative | Those who |
| avītarāgā | Nominative plural adjective | Not free from passion |
| appekacce | Nominative plural adjective | Some |
| bāhā | Accusative plural noun | Arms |
| paggayha | Absolutive | Having raised |
| kandanti | Present tense verb, 3rd person plural | Weep |
| chinnapātaṁ | Adverbial compound | Like falling when cut |
| papatanti | Present tense verb, 3rd person plural | Fall down |
| āvaṭṭanti | Present tense verb, 3rd person plural | Roll this way |
| vivaṭṭanti | Present tense verb, 3rd person plural | Roll that way |
| atikhippaṁ | Adverb | Too quickly |
| parinibbuto | Past participle, nominative singular | Attained parinibbāna |
| ye pana te | Nominative plural demonstrative | But those who |
| vītarāgā | Nominative plural adjective | Free from passion |
| satā | Nominative plural adjective | Mindful |
| sampajānā | Nominative plural adjective | Clearly comprehending |
| adhivāsenti | Present tense verb, 3rd person plural | Endure |
| aniccā | Nominative plural adjective | Impermanent |
| saṅkhārā | Nominative plural noun | Conditioned things |
Tena kho pana samayena subhaddo nāma vuddhapabbajito tassaṁ parisāyaṁ nisinno hoti.
Atha kho subhaddo vuddhapabbajito te bhikkhū etadavoca: "alaṁ, āvuso, mā socittha,
mā paridevittha, sumuttā mayaṁ tena mahāsamaṇena. Upaddutā ca homa:
'idaṁ vo kappati, idaṁ vo na kappatī'ti. Idāni pana mayaṁ yaṁ icchissāma,
taṁ karissāma, yaṁ na icchissāma, na taṁ karissāmā"ti.
| subhaddo nāma | Nominative singular noun + particle | Named Subhadda |
| vuddha-pabbajito | Nominative singular compound | Ordained in old age |
| tassaṁ | Locative singular demonstrative | In that |
| parisāyaṁ | Locative singular noun | Assembly |
| nisinno | Past participle, nominative singular | Seated |
| alaṁ | Indeclinable | Enough |
| mā socittha | Prohibitive + Aorist 2nd plural | Do not grieve |
| mā paridevittha | Prohibitive + Aorist 2nd plural | Do not lament |
| sumuttā | Past participle, nominative plural | Well freed |
| tena | Instrumental singular demonstrative | From that |
| mahāsamaṇena | Instrumental singular compound | Great ascetic |
| upaddutā | Past participle, nominative plural | Oppressed |
| homa | Present tense verb, 1st person plural | We were |
| idaṁ vo | Nominative singular demonstrative + Dative plural | This for you |
| kappati | Present tense verb | Is allowable |
| idāni | Indeclinable | Now |
| yaṁ | Accusative singular relative | What |
| icchissāma | Future tense verb, 1st person plural | We will wish |
| karissāma | Future tense verb, 1st person plural | We will do |
| na karissāma | Future tense verb with negative | We will not do |
Atha kho āyasmā mahākassapo bhikkhū āmantesi: "alaṁ, āvuso, mā socittha,
mā paridevittha. Nanu etaṁ, āvuso, bhagavatā paṭikacceva akkhātaṁ:
'sabbeheva piyehi manāpehi nānābhāvo vinābhāvo aññathābhāvo'.
Taṁ kutettha, āvuso, labbhā. 'Yaṁ taṁ jātaṁ bhūtaṁ saṅkhataṁ palokadhammaṁ,
taṁ tathāgatassāpi sarīraṁ mā palujjī'ti, netaṁ ṭhānaṁ vijjatī"ti.
| nanu | Interrogative particle | Is it not? |
| paṭikacceva | Absolutive + emphatic particle | Already beforehand |
| akkhātaṁ | Past participle, nominative singular | Declared |
| sabbehi eva | Instrumental plural adjective + particle | With all |
| piyehi | Instrumental plural adjective | Dear |
| manāpehi | Instrumental plural adjective | Pleasing |
| nānābhāvo | Nominative singular compound | Separation |
| vinābhāvo | Nominative singular compound | Division |
| aññathābhāvo | Nominative singular compound | Change |
| jātaṁ | Past participle, nominative singular | Born |
| bhūtaṁ | Past participle, nominative singular | Become |
| saṅkhataṁ | Past participle, nominative singular | Conditioned |
| palokadhammaṁ | Accusative singular compound | Subject to destruction |
| tathāgatassāpi | Genitive singular noun + particle | Even of the Tathāgata |
| sarīraṁ | Nominative singular noun | Body |
| mā palujjī | Prohibitive + Aorist 3rd singular | May not break up |
| netaṁ | Negative + demonstrative (na + etaṁ) | This is not |
| ṭhānaṁ | Nominative singular noun | Possibility |
| vijjati | Present tense verb, 3rd person singular | Exists |
This passage is particularly significant as it shows the contrasting reactions to the Buddha's parinibbāna between those who had and hadn't attained liberation, and includes Subhadda's controversial statement that later became one of the causes for the First Buddhist Council.
Note: Aṭṭhamī Pūjā, also known as "Paying Respect on the Eighth Day," commemorates the cremation of the Buddha's body on the eighth day after Visākha Pūjā (a major Buddhist festival celebrating the Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and death). It's a lesser-known festival compared to Visākha Pūjā and is not recognized as a public holiday in many places.
Related
'Yaṁ taṁ jātaṁ bhūtaṁ saṅkhataṁ palokadhammaṁ, taṁ tathāgatassāpi sarīraṁ mā palujjī'ti
| palokadhamma (adj.) | having the nature to fall apart; liable to break [paloka + dhamma] |
| paloka (m.) | falling apart; dissolution; disintegration [pa + √luj + *a] |
| palujjati | breaks off; comes apart; crumbles [pa + √luj + ya + ti] |
| lujjati (+instr) | is broken (by); falls apart [√luj + ya + ti] |
SN 35.82 Lokapañhāsutta (SC, SSP)
Lujjatī'ti kho, bhikkhu, tasmā loko'ti vuccati. Kiñca lujjati? Cakkhu kho, bhikkhu, lujjati. Rūpā lujjanti, cakkhuviññāṇaṁ lujjati...
It is disintegrating, bhikkhu, therefore it is called the world. And what is disintegrating? The eye, bhikkhu, is disintegrating, forms are disintegrating, eye-consciousness is disintegrating ...
... And if a person who was being swept along by the current grabbed the wild sugarcane, kusa grass, reeds, vetiver, or trees, it'd break off, and they'd come to ruin because of that.
Tassā puriso sotena vuyhamāno kāse cepi gaṇheyya, te palujjeyyuṁ. So tatonidānaṁ anayabyasanaṁ āpajjeyya.
Evameva kho, bhikkhave, assutavā puthujjano ... rūpaṁ / vedanaṁ / saññaṁ / saṅkhāre / viññāṇaṁ attato samanupassati ... Tassa taṁ rūpaṁ palujjati. So tatonidānaṁ anayabyasanaṁ āpajjati.
The ordinary person ... assumes form to be the self ... That form tears away from him, and so from that cause he would come to disaster.