About UddakaUdakasutta

“Mendicants, Uddaka son of Rāma used to say:“Udako sudaṁ, bhikkhave, rāmaputto evaṁ vācaṁ bhāsati:

‘Hereupon, ever the knowledge master!‘idaṁ jātu vedagū, Hereupon, ever the conqueror of all!idaṁ jātu sabbajī, Hereupon, ever the undugidaṁ jātu apalikhataṁ boil’s root was dug out by me!’gaṇḍamūlaṁ palikhaṇin’ti.

Even though Uddaka son of Rāma was no knowledge master, he said ‘I’m a knowledge master.’ Though he was no conqueror of all, he said ‘I’m conqueror of all.’ And though the boil’s root was not dug out, he said ‘I’ve dug out the boil’s root.’Taṁ kho panetaṁ, bhikkhave, udako rāmaputto avedagūyeva samāno ‘vedagūsmī’ti bhāsati, asabbajīyeva samāno ‘sabbajīsmī’ti bhāsati, apalikhataṁyeva gaṇḍamūlaṁ ‘palikhataṁ me gaṇḍamūlan’ti bhāsati.

A mendicant might rightly say here:Idha kho taṁ, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sammā vadamāno vadeyya:

‘Hereupon, ever the knowledge master!‘idaṁ jātu vedagū, Hereupon, ever the conqueror of all!idaṁ jātu sabbajī, Hereupon, ever the undugidaṁ jātu apalikhataṁ boil’s root is dug out!’gaṇḍamūlaṁ palikhaṇin’ti.

And how is someone a knowledge master?Kathañca, bhikkhave, vedagū hoti? It’s when a mendicant truly understands the six fields of contact’s origin, disappearance, gratification, drawback, and escape.Yato kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu channaṁ phassāyatanānaṁ samudayañca atthaṅgamañca assādañca ādīnavañca nissaraṇañca yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti; That’s how a mendicant is a knowledge master.evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu vedagū hoti.

And how is a mendicant a conqueror of all?Kathañca, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sabbajī hoti? It’s when a mendicant comes to be freed by not grasping after truly understanding the six fields of contact’s origin, disappearance, gratification, drawback, and escape.Yato kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu channaṁ phassāyatanānaṁ samudayañca atthaṅgamañca assādañca ādīnavañca nissaraṇañca yathābhūtaṁ viditvā anupādāvimutto hoti; That’s how a mendicant is a conqueror of all.evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sabbajī hoti.

And how has a mendicant dug out the undug boil’s root?Kathañca, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno apalikhataṁ gaṇḍamūlaṁ palikhataṁ hoti? ‘Boil’ is a term for this body made up of the four principal states, produced by mother and father, built up from rice and porridge, liable to impermanence, to wearing away and erosion, to breaking up and destruction.Gaṇḍoti kho, bhikkhave, imassetaṁ cātumahābhūtikassa kāyassa adhivacanaṁ mātāpettikasambhavassa odanakummāsūpacayassa aniccucchādanaparimaddanabhedanaviddhaṁsanadhammassa. ‘Boil’s root’ is a term for craving.Gaṇḍamūlanti kho, bhikkhave, taṇhāyetaṁ adhivacanaṁ. It’s when a mendicant has given up craving, cut it off at the root, made it like a palm stump, obliterated it, so it’s unable to arise in the future.Yato kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno taṇhā pahīnā hoti ucchinnamūlā tālāvatthukatā anabhāvaṅkatā āyatiṁ anuppādadhammā; That’s how a mendicant has dug out the undug boil’s root.evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno apalikhataṁ gaṇḍamūlaṁ palikhataṁ hoti.

Uddaka son of Rāma used to say:Udako sudaṁ, bhikkhave, rāmaputto evaṁ vācaṁ bhāsati:

‘Hereupon, ever the knowledge master!‘idaṁ jātu vedagū, Hereupon, ever the conqueror of all!idaṁ jātu sabbajī, Hereupon, ever the undugidaṁ jātu apalikhataṁ boil’s root is dug out!’gaṇḍamūlaṁ palikhaṇin’ti.

Even though Uddaka son of Rāma was no knowledge master, he said ‘I’m a knowledge master.’ Though he was no conqueror of all, he said ‘I’m conqueror of all.’ And though the boil’s root was not dug out, he said ‘I’ve dug out the boil’s root.’Taṁ kho panetaṁ, bhikkhave, udako rāmaputto avedagūyeva samāno ‘vedagūsmī’ti bhāsati, asabbajīyeva samāno ‘sabbajīsmī’ti bhāsati; apalikhataṁyeva gaṇḍamūlaṁ ‘palikhataṁ me gaṇḍamūlan’ti bhāsati.

A mendicant might rightly say here:Idha kho taṁ, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sammā vadamāno vadeyya:

‘Hereupon, ever the knowledge master!‘idaṁ jātu vedagū, Hereupon, ever the conqueror of all!idaṁ jātu sabbajī, Hereupon, ever the undugidaṁ jātu apalikhataṁ boil’s root is dug out!’”gaṇḍamūlaṁ palikhaṇin’ti.