MahākassapaMahākassapattheragāthā

“You shouldn’t live for the adulation of a following;“Na gaṇena purakkhato care, it turns your mind, making it hard to get immersion.Vimano hoti samādhi dullabho; Seeing that popularity is suffering,Nānājanasaṅgaho dukho, you shouldn’t consent to a following.Iti disvāna gaṇaṁ na rocaye.

A sage should not visit respectable families;Na kulāni upabbaje muni, it turns your mind, making it hard to get immersion.Vimano hoti samādhi dullabho; If you’re eager and greedy for flavors,So ussukko rasānugiddho, you’ll miss the goal that brings such happiness.Atthaṁ riñcati yo sukhāvaho.

They know it really is a bog,Paṅkoti hi naṁ avedayuṁ, this homage and veneration in respectable families.Yāyaṁ vandanapūjanā kulesu; Honor is a subtle dart, hard to extract,Sukhumaṁ sallaṁ durubbahaṁ, and hard for a reprobate to give up.”Sakkāro kāpurisena dujjaho.

“I came down from my lodgingSenāsanamhā oruyha, and entered the city for alms.nagaraṁ piṇḍāya pāvisiṁ; I courteously stood byBhuñjantaṁ purisaṁ kuṭṭhiṁ, while a leper ate.sakkaccaṁ taṁ upaṭṭhahiṁ.

With his putrid handSo me pakkena hatthena, he offered me a morsel.ālopaṁ upanāmayi; Putting the morsel in my bowl,Ālopaṁ pakkhipantassa, his finger dropped off right there.aṅguli cettha chijjatha.

Sitting by a wall,Kuṭṭamūlañca nissāya, I ate that lump of rice.ālopaṁ taṁ abhuñjisaṁ; I did not feel any disgustBhuñjamāne vā bhutte vā, while eating or afterwards.jegucchaṁ me na vijjati.

Anyone who makes use ofUttiṭṭhapiṇḍo āhāro, leftovers for food,pūtimuttañca osadhaṁ; rancid urine as medicine,Senāsanaṁ rukkhamūlaṁ, the root of a tree as lodging,paṁsukūlañca cīvaraṁ; and cast-off rags as robes,Yassete abhisambhutvā, is at ease in any quarter.”sa ve cātuddiso naro.

“Where some have fallen to ruinYattha eke vihaññanti, while climbing the mountain,āruhantā siluccayaṁ; there Kassapa ascends;Tassa buddhassa dāyādo, an heir of the Buddha,sampajāno patissato; aware and mindful,Iddhibalenupatthaddho, owing to his psychic powers.kassapo abhirūhati.

Returning from almsround,Piṇḍapātapaṭikkanto, Kassapa ascends the mountain,selamāruyha kassapo; and practices absorption without grasping,Jhāyati anupādāno, with fear and dread given up.pahīnabhayabheravo.

Returning from almsround,Piṇḍapātapaṭikkanto, Kassapa ascends the mountain,selamāruyha kassapo; and practices absorption without grasping,Jhāyati anupādāno, quenched amongst those who burn.ḍayhamānesu nibbuto.

Returning from almsround,Piṇḍapātapaṭikkanto, Kassapa ascends the mountain,selamāruyha kassapo; and practices absorption without grasping,Jhāyati anupādāno, his task completed, free of defilements.”katakicco anāsavo.

“Strewn with garlands of the musk-rose tree,Karerimālāvitatā, these regions are so delightful, so lovely,bhūmibhāgā manoramā; echoing with the trumpeting of elephants:Kuñjarābhirudā rammā, these rocky crags delight me!te selā ramayanti maṁ.

Glistening, they look like blue stormclouds,Nīlabbhavaṇṇā rucirā, with waters cool and streams so clear,vārisītā sucindharā; and covered all in ladybugs:Indagopakasañchannā, these rocky crags delight me!te selā ramayanti maṁ.

Like the peak of a blue stormcloud,Nīlabbhakūṭasadisā, or like a fine bungalow, lovely,kūṭāgāravarūpamā; echoing with the trumpeting of elephants:Vāraṇābhirudā rammā, these rocky crags delight me!te selā ramayanti maṁ.

The rain comes down on the lovely flats,Abhivuṭṭhā rammatalā, in the mountains frequented by seers.nagā isibhi sevitā; Echoing with the cries of peacocks,Abbhunnaditā sikhīhi, these rocky crags delight me!te selā ramayanti maṁ.

It’s enough for me, who loves absorption,Alaṁ jhāyitukāmassa, to remain resolute.pahitattassa me sato; It’s enough for me,Alaṁ me atthakāmassa, a resolute monk who wants what’s best.pahitattassa bhikkhuno.

It’s enough for me,Alaṁ me phāsukāmassa, a resolute monk who loves comfort.pahitattassa bhikkhuno; It’s enough for me,Alaṁ me yogakāmassa, resolute and unaffected, loving meditation.pahitattassa tādino.

Covered with flowers of flax,Umāpupphena samānā, like the welkin covered with stormclouds,gaganāvabbhachāditā; full of flocks of many different birds,Nānādijagaṇākiṇṇā, these rocky crags delight me!te selā ramayanti maṁ.

Empty of householders,Anākiṇṇā gahaṭṭhehi, frequented by herds of deer,migasaṅghanisevitā; full of flocks of many different birds,Nānādijagaṇākiṇṇā, these rocky crags delight me!te selā ramayanti maṁ.

The water’s clear and the rocks are broad,Acchodikā puthusilā, monkeys and deer are all around;gonaṅgulamigāyutā; festooned with dewy moss,Ambusevālasañchannā, these rocky crags delight me!”te selā ramayanti maṁ.

“Even the music of a five-piece bandNa pañcaṅgikena turiyena, can never give such pleasureRati me hoti tādisī; as when, with unified mind,Yathā ekaggacittassa, you rightly discern the Dhamma.”Sammā dhammaṁ vipassato.

“Don’t get involved in lots of work,Kammaṁ bahukaṁ na kāraye, avoid people, and don’t try to acquire things.Parivajjeyya janaṁ na uyyame; If you’re eager and greedy for flavors,Ussukko so rasānugiddho, you’ll miss the goal that brings such happiness.Atthaṁ riñcati yo sukhāvaho.

Don’t get involved in lots of work,Kammaṁ bahukaṁ na kāraye, avoid what doesn’t lead to the goal.Parivajjeyya anattaneyyametaṁ; The body gets worn out and fatigued,Kicchati kāyo kilamati, and when you ache, you won’t find serenity.”Dukkhito so samathaṁ na vindati.

“You won’t see yourselfOṭṭhappahatamattena, by merely reciting words,attānampi na passati; wandering stiff-neckedPatthaddhagīvo carati, and thinking, ‘I’m better than them.’ahaṁ seyyoti maññati.

The fool is no better,Aseyyo seyyasamānaṁ, but they think they are.bālo maññati attānaṁ; The wise don’t praiseNa taṁ viññū pasaṁsanti, pompous people.patthaddhamānasaṁ naraṁ.

Whoever does not waverYo ca seyyohamasmīti, due to the discriminations—nāhaṁ seyyoti vā pana; ‘I am better’, ‘I’m not better’,Hīno taṁsadiso vāti, ‘I am worse’, or ‘I am the same’—vidhāsu na vikampati.

with such understanding, unaffected,Paññavantaṁ tathā tādiṁ, steady in ethics,sīlesu susamāhitaṁ; and devoted to serenity of mind:Cetosamathamanuttaṁ, that is who the wise praise.”tañce viññū pasaṁsare.

“Whoever has no respectYassa sabrahmacārīsu, for their spiritual companionsgāravo nūpalabbhati; is as far from the true teachingĀrakā hoti saddhammā, as the earth is from the sky.nabhato puthavī yathā.

Those whose conscience and prudenceYesañca hiriottappaṁ, are always rightly established,sadā sammā upaṭṭhitaṁ; thrive in the spiritual life;Virūḷhabrahmacariyā te, for them, there are no future lives.tesaṁ khīṇā punabbhavā.

When a mendicant who is haughty and fickleUddhato capalo bhikkhu, wears rags from the rubbish-heap,paṁsukūlena pāruto; that doesn’t make them shine:Kapīva sīhacammena, they’re like a monkey in a lion skin.na so tenupasobhati.

But if they not restless or fickle,Anuddhato acapalo, alert, with senses restrained,nipako saṁvutindriyo; then, wearing rags from the rubbish-heap, they shineSobhati paṁsukūlena, like a lion in a mountain cave.”sīhova girigabbhare.

“These many godsEte sambahulā devā, powerful and glorious,iddhimanto yasassino; all 10,000 of them,Dasadevasahassāni, belong to the host of the Divinity.sabbe te brahmakāyikā.

They stand with cupped palmsDhammasenāpatiṁ vīraṁ, honoring Sāriputta,mahājhāyiṁ samāhitaṁ; the General of the Dhamma, the hero,Sāriputtaṁ namassantā, the serene great meditator:tiṭṭhanti pañjalīkatā.

‘Homage to you, O thoroughbred!‘Namo te purisājañña, Homage to you, supreme among men!namo te purisuttama; We don’t understandYassa te nābhijānāma, the basis of your absorption.yampi nissāya jhāyati.

The profound domain of the BuddhasAccheraṁ vata buddhānaṁ, is truly amazing.gambhīro gocaro sako; We don’t understand,Ye mayaṁ nābhijānāma, though we’ve gathered here to split hairs.’vālavedhisamāgatā’.

When he saw the host of godsTaṁ tathā devakāyehi, paying homage to Sāriputta—pūjitaṁ pūjanārahaṁ; who is truly worthy of homage—Sāriputtaṁ tadā disvā, Kappina smiled.”kappinassa sitaṁ ahu.

“As far as the range of the Buddha extends,Yāvatā buddhakhettamhi, I am distinguished in austerities.ṭhapayitvā mahāmuniṁ; I have no equal,Dhutaguṇe visiṭṭhohaṁ, apart from the great sage himself.sadiso me na vijjati.

I’ve served the TeacherPariciṇṇo mayā satthā, and fulfilled the Buddha’s instructions.kataṁ buddhassa sāsanaṁ; The heavy burden is laid down,Ohito garuko bhāro, now there’ll be no more future lives.”natthi dāni punabbhavo.

“Like a lotus flowerNa cīvare na sayane, to which water will not stick,bhojane nupalimpati; Gotama the immeasurable is unstainedGotamo anappameyyo, by robes, lodgings, or food.muḷālapupphaṁ vimalaṁva; He inclines to renunciation,Ambunā nekkhammaninno, and has escaped the three states of existence.tibhavābhinissaṭo.

The great sage’s neck is mindfulness meditation;Satipaṭṭhānagīvo so, faith is his hands, and wisdom his head.saddhāhattho mahāmuni; Having great knowledge,Paññāsīso mahāñāṇī, he always wanders, quenched.”sadā carati nibbuto”ti.

The Book of the Forties is finished.Cattālīsanipāto niṭṭhito.