4. Devadūtavagga

Aṅguttara Nikāya 3.38

Numbered Discourses 3.38

4. Devadūtavagga

4. Messengers of the Gods

Dutiyacatumahārājasutta

The Four Great Kings (2nd)

“Bhūtapubbaṁ, bhikkhave, sakko devānamindo deve tāvatiṁse anunayamāno tāyaṁ velāyaṁ imaṁ gāthaṁ abhāsi:

“Once upon a time, mendicants, Sakka, lord of gods, guiding the gods of the thirty-three, spoke this verse:

‘Cātuddasiṁ pañcadasiṁ,

‘Whoever wants to be like me

yā ca pakkhassa aṭṭhamī;

would observe the sabbath

Pāṭihāriyapakkhañca,

complete in all eight factors,

aṭṭhaṅgasusamāgataṁ;

on the fourteenth and the fifteenth days,

Uposathaṁ upavaseyya,

and the eighth day of the fortnight,

yopissa mādiso naro’ti.

as well as on the fortnightly special displays.’

Sā kho panesā, bhikkhave, sakkena devānamindena gāthā duggītā na sugītā dubbhāsitā na subhāsitā.

But that verse was poorly sung by Sakka, lord of gods, not well sung; poorly spoken, not well spoken.

Taṁ kissa hetu?

Why is that?

Sakko hi, bhikkhave, devānamindo aparimutto jātiyā jarāya maraṇena sokehi paridevehi dukkhehi domanassehi upāyāsehi, ‘aparimutto dukkhasmā’ti vadāmi.

Because Sakka, lord of gods, is not exempt from rebirth, old age, and death, from sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress. He is not exempt from suffering, I say.

Yo ca kho so, bhikkhave, bhikkhu arahaṁ khīṇāsavo vusitavā katakaraṇīyo ohitabhāro anuppattasadattho parikkhīṇabhavasaṁyojano sammadaññāvimutto, tassa kho etaṁ, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno kallaṁ vacanāya:

But for a mendicant who is perfected—with defilements ended, who has completed the spiritual journey, done what had to be done, laid down the burden, achieved their heart’s goal, utterly ended the fetter of continued existence, and is rightly freed through enlightenment—it is appropriate to say:

‘Cātuddasiṁ pañcadasiṁ,

‘Whoever wants to be like me

yā ca pakkhassa aṭṭhamī;

would observe the sabbath,

Pāṭihāriyapakkhañca,

complete in all eight factors,

aṭṭhaṅgasusamāgataṁ;

on the fourteenth and the fifteenth days,

Uposathaṁ upavaseyya,

and the eighth day of the fortnight,

yopissa mādiso naro’ti.

as well as on the fortnightly special displays.’

Taṁ kissa hetu?

Why is that?

So hi, bhikkhave, bhikkhu parimutto jātiyā jarāya maraṇena sokehi paridevehi dukkhehi domanassehi upāyāsehi, ‘parimutto dukkhasmā’ti vadāmī”ti.

Because that mendicant is exempt from rebirth, old age, and death, from sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress. He is exempt from suffering, I say.”

Aṭṭhamaṁ.