5.17. Piṅgiya’s Question

“Jiṇṇohamasmi abalo vītavaṇṇo,

(iccāyasmā piṅgiyo)

Nettā na suddhā savanaṁ na phāsu;

Māhaṁ nassaṁ momuho antarāva,

Ācikkha dhammaṁ yamahaṁ vijaññaṁ;

Jātijarāya idha vippahānaṁ”.

“Disvāna rūpesu vihaññamāne,

(piṅgiyāti bhagavā)

Ruppanti rūpesu janā pamattā;

Tasmā tuvaṁ piṅgiya appamatto,

Jahassu rūpaṁ apunabbhavāya”.

“Disā catasso vidisā catasso,

Uddhaṁ adho dasa disā imāyo;

Na tuyhaṁ adiṭṭhaṁ asutaṁ amutaṁ,

Atho aviññātaṁ kiñcanamatthi loke;

Ācikkha dhammaṁ yamahaṁ vijaññaṁ,

Jātijarāya idha vippahānaṁ”.

“Taṇhādhipanne manuje pekkhamāno,

(piṅgiyāti bhagavā)

Santāpajāte jarasā parete;

Tasmā tuvaṁ piṅgiya appamatto,

Jahassu taṇhaṁ apunabbhavāyā”ti.

Piṅgiyamāṇavapucchā soḷasamā.

SC 1SC Verse 1127Piṅgiya
Aged am I, feeble and my beauty fled,
my eyes no longer clear, my hearing weak,
let me not die confused along the way,
teach me the Dharma so that I shall know
how to let go of birth and of decay.

SC 2SC Verse 1128Buddha
Having seen them smitten by (the sight of) forms,
by bodily forms those careless folk are beaten down,
therefore, Piṅgiya, you should be aware:
let go this bodily form so as not to be reborn.*Sujato: lkm had “let go these forms for not again becoming”, which I found barely intelligible; I similarly changed the last line of verse 1130. In addition, this verse contains a grammatical mistake, as rūpa here is singular.

SC 3SC Verse 1129Piṅgiya
There’s nothing in the world: four directions chief,
four intermediates, above, below, ten in all—
unseen, unheard, not felt or known by you;
teach to me Dharma so that when I’ve known it
birth and ageing are both abandoned here.

SC 4SC Verse 1130Buddha
Seeing humanity by cravings afflicted—
burnt by being born, overcome by age,
therefore, Piṅgiya, you should be aware:
let go of craving so as not to be reborn.