3.2. The Striving of Gotama

“Taṁ maṁ padhānapahitattaṁ,

nadiṁ nerañjaraṁ pati;

Viparakkamma jhāyantaṁ,

yogakkhemassa pattiyā.

Namucī karuṇaṁ vācaṁ,

bhāsamāno upāgami;

‘Kiso tvamasi dubbaṇṇo,

santike maraṇaṁ tava.

Sahassabhāgo maraṇassa,

ekaṁso tava jīvitaṁ;

Jīva bho jīvitaṁ seyyo,

jīvaṁ puññāni kāhasi.

Carato ca te brahmacariyaṁ,

Aggihuttañca jūhato;

Pahūtaṁ cīyate puññaṁ,

Kiṁ padhānena kāhasi.

Duggo maggo padhānāya,

dukkaro durabhisambhavo’”;

Imā gāthā bhaṇaṁ māro,

aṭṭhā buddhassa santike.

Taṁ tathāvādinaṁ māraṁ,

bhagavā etadabravi;

“Pamattabandhu pāpima,

yenatthena idhāgato.

Aṇumattopi puññena,

Attho mayhaṁ na vijjati;

Yesañca attho puññena,

Te māro vattumarahati.

Atthi saddhā tathā viriyaṁ,

paññā ca mama vijjati;

Evaṁ maṁ pahitattampi,

kiṁ jīvamanupucchasi.

Nadīnamapi sotāni,

ayaṁ vāto visosaye;

Kiñca me pahitattassa,

lohitaṁ nupasussaye.

Lohite sussamānamhi,

Pittaṁ semhañca sussati;

Maṁsesu khīyamānesu,

Bhiyyo cittaṁ pasīdati;

Bhiyyo sati ca paññā ca,

Samādhi mama tiṭṭhati.

Tassa mevaṁ viharato,

Pattassuttamavedanaṁ;

Kāmesu nāpekkhate cittaṁ,

Passa sattassa suddhataṁ.

Kāmā te paṭhamā senā,

Dutiyā arati vuccati;

Tatiyā khuppipāsā te,

Catutthī taṇhā pavuccati.

Pañcamaṁ thinamiddhaṁ te,

Chaṭṭhā bhīrū pavuccati;

Sattamī vicikicchā te,

Makkho thambho te aṭṭhamo.

Lābho siloko sakkāro,

Micchāladdho ca yo yaso;

Yo cattānaṁ samukkaṁse,

Pare ca avajānati.

Esā namuci te senā,

Kaṇhassābhippahārinī;

Na naṁ asūro jināti,

Jetvā ca labhate sukhaṁ.

Esa muñjaṁ parihare,

Dhiratthu mama jīvitaṁ;

Saṅgāme me mataṁ seyyo,

Yañce jīve parājito.

Pagāḷhettha na dissanti,

Eke samaṇabrāhmaṇā;

Tañca maggaṁ na jānanti,

Yena gacchanti subbatā.

Samantā dhajiniṁ disvā,

Yuttaṁ māraṁ savāhanaṁ;

Yuddhāya paccuggacchāmi,

Mā maṁ ṭhānā acāvayi.

Yaṁ te taṁ nappasahati,

Senaṁ loko sadevako;

Taṁ te paññāya bhecchāmi,

Āmaṁ pattaṁva asmanā.

Vasīkaritvā saṅkappaṁ,

Satiñca sūpatiṭṭhitaṁ;

Raṭṭhā raṭṭhaṁ vicarissaṁ,

Sāvake vinayaṁ puthū.

Te appamattā pahitattā,

Mama sāsanakārakā;

Akāmassa te gamissanti,

Yattha gantvā na socare”.

“Satta vassāni bhagavantaṁ,

Anubandhiṁ padāpadaṁ;

Otāraṁ nādhigacchissaṁ,

Sambuddhassa satīmato.

Medavaṇṇaṁva pāsāṇaṁ,

Vāyaso anupariyagā;

Apettha muduṁ vindema,

Api assādanā siyā.

Aladdhā tattha assādaṁ,

Vāyasetto apakkami;

Kākova selamāsajja,

Nibbijjāpema gotamaṁ”.

Tassa sokaparetassa,

Vīṇā kacchā abhassatha;

Tato so dummano yakkho,

Tatthevantaradhāyathāti.

Padhānasuttaṁ dutiyaṁ.

SC 1SC Verse 428Buddha
As I strove to subdue myself
beside the broad Nerañjarā,
absorbed unflinchingly to gain
the surcease of bondage here,
Namucī came and spoke to me
with words all garbed in pity thus:

SC 2SC Verse 429Māra
O you are thin and you are pale,
and you are in death’s presence too:

SC 3SC Verse 430a thousand parts are pledged to death
but life still holds one part of you.
Live, sir! Life’s the better way;
you may gain merit if you live,

SC 4SC Verse 431come live the life of purity, pour
libations on the holy fires
and thus a world of merit gain.
What can you do by struggling now?

SC 5SC Verse 432The path of struggling too is rough,
and difficult and hard to bear.

SC 6Narrator
Now Māra, as he spoke these lines
drew near until he stood close by.

SC 7SC Verse 433The Blessed One replied to him
as he stood thus:

SC 8Buddha
O Evil One,
O Cousin of the Negligent,
you have come here for your own ends.

SC 9SC Verse 434Now, merit I need not at all.
Let Māra talk of merit then,
to those that stand in need of it.

SC 10SC Verse 435For I have faith and energy,
and I have understanding, too.
So while I thus subdue myself,
why do you speak to me of life?

SC 11SC Verse 436There is this wind that blows, can dry
even the rivers’ running streams;
so while I thus subdue myself,
why should it not dry up my blood?

SC 12SC Verse 437And, as the blood dries up, then bile
and phlegm run dry, the wasting flesh
becalms the mind: I shall have more
of mindfulness and wisdom too,
I shall have greater concentration.

SC 13SC Verse 438For living thus I come to know
the limits to which feeling goes.
My mind looks not to sense-desires:
Now see a being’s purity.

SC 14SC Verse 439Your squadron’s first is Sense-desires
your second’s Sexual Discontent,
Hunger and Thirst compose the third,
and Craving is the fourth in rank,

SC 15SC Verse 440the fifth is Sloth and Accidy,
while Fear is called the sixth in line,
Sceptical doubt is seventh, the eighth
is Sliminess, Hardheartedness;

SC 16SC Verse 441Gain with Honour, Praise besides,
and ill-won Notoriety,
Self-praise and Denigrating others—

SC 17SC Verse 442These are your squadrons, Namucī,
the Black One’s fighting troops.
None but the brave will conquer them
to gain bliss by the victory.

SC 18SC Verse 443As though I’m weaving muñja-grass,
proclaiming no retreat: shame upon life
defeated here—better to die in battle now
than choose to live on in defeat.

SC 19SC Verse 444Ascetics and brahmins there are found
that have surrendered here, and they
are seen no more: they do not know
the paths the pilgrim travels by.

SC 20SC Verse 445So, seeing Māra’s squadrons now
arrayed all round, with elephants,
I sally forth to fight, that I
may not be driven from my post.

SC 21SC Verse 446Your serried squadrons, which the world
with all its gods cannot defeat,
Now I’ll break with wisdom sharp,
as with a stone a raw clay pot.

SC 22SC Verse 447With all mind’s thoughts within the range,
with well-established mindfulness,
I’ll travel on from state to state
many disciples leading out.

SC 23SC Verse 448They, both diligent and resolute
carry on my Sāsana,
and though you like it not, they’ll go
to where they do not grieve.

SC 24SC Verse 449Māra
Though step by step for seven years
I’ve followed on the Blessed One,
the Fully Enlightened One, possessed
of mindfulness, he gave to me no chance.

SC 25SC Verse 450A crow there was who walked around
a stone that seemed a lump of fat;
“Shall I find something soft in this?
And is there something tasty here?”

SC 26SC Verse 451He finding nothing tasty there,
made off: and we from Gotama
depart in disappointment, too,
like to the crow that tried the stone.

SC 27SC Verse 452Narrator
Then full of sorrow he let slip
the lute from underneath his arm,
then that dejected demon
disappeared just there.