5.19. Piṅgiya’s Song of the Way to the Beyond

“Pārāyanamanugāyissaṁ,

(iccāyasmā piṅgiyo)

Yathāddakkhi tathākkhāsi;

Vimalo bhūrimedhaso,

Nikkāmo nibbano nāgo;

Kissa hetu musā bhaṇe.

Pahīnamalamohassa,

mānamakkhappahāyino;

Handāhaṁ kittayissāmi,

giraṁ vaṇṇūpasañhitaṁ.

Tamonudo buddho samantacakkhu,

Lokantagū sabbabhavātivatto;

Anāsavo sabbadukkhappahīno,

Saccavhayo brahme upāsito me.

Dijo yathā kubbanakaṁ pahāya,

Bahupphalaṁ kānanamāvaseyya;

Evampahaṁ appadasse pahāya,

Mahodadhiṁ haṁsoriva ajjhapatto.

Ye me pubbe viyākaṁsu,

Huraṁ gotamasāsanā;

Iccāsi iti bhavissati,

Sabbaṁ taṁ itihītihaṁ;

Sabbaṁ taṁ takkavaḍḍhanaṁ.

Eko tamanudāsino,

jutimā so pabhaṅkaro;

Gotamo bhūripaññāṇo,

gotamo bhūrimedhaso.

Yo me dhammamadesesi,

Sandiṭṭhikamakālikaṁ;

Taṇhakkhayamanītikaṁ,

Yassa natthi upamā kvaci”.

“Kiṁ nu tamhā vippavasasi,

muhuttamapi piṅgiya;

Gotamā bhūripaññāṇā,

gotamā bhūrimedhasā.

Yo te dhammamadesesi,

Sandiṭṭhikamakālikaṁ;

Taṇhakkhayamanītikaṁ,

Yassa natthi upamā kvaci”.

“Nāhaṁ tamhā vippavasāmi,

Muhuttamapi brāhmaṇa;

Gotamā bhūripaññāṇā,

Gotamā bhūrimedhasā.

Yo me dhammamadesesi,

Sandiṭṭhikamakālikaṁ;

Taṇhakkhayamanītikaṁ,

Yassa natthi upamā kvaci.

Passāmi naṁ manasā cakkhunāva,

Rattindivaṁ brāhmaṇa appamatto;

Namassamāno vivasemi rattiṁ,

Teneva maññāmi avippavāsaṁ.

Saddhā ca pīti ca mano sati ca,

Nāpentime gotamasāsanamhā;

Yaṁ yaṁ disaṁ vajati bhūripañño,

Sa tena teneva natohamasmi.

Jiṇṇassa me dubbalathāmakassa,

Teneva kāyo na paleti tattha;

Saṅkappayantāya vajāmi niccaṁ,

Mano hi me brāhmaṇa tena yutto.

Paṅke sayāno pariphandamāno,

Dīpā dīpaṁ upaplaviṁ;

Athaddasāsiṁ sambuddhaṁ,

Oghatiṇṇamanāsavaṁ”.

“Yathā ahū vakkali muttasaddho,

Bhadrāvudho āḷavigotamo ca;

Evamevaṁ tvampi pamuñcassu saddhaṁ,

Gamissasi tvaṁ piṅgiya maccudheyyassa pāraṁ”.

“Esa bhiyyo pasīdāmi,

Sutvāna munino vaco;

Vivaṭṭacchado sambuddho,

Akhilo paṭibhānavā.

Adhideve abhiññāya,

Sabbaṁ vedi varovaraṁ;

Pañhānantakaro satthā,

Kaṅkhīnaṁ paṭijānataṁ.

Asaṁhīraṁ asaṅkuppaṁ,

Yassa natthi upamā kvaci;

Addhā gamissāmi na mettha kaṅkhā,

Evaṁ maṁ dhārehi adhimuttacittan”ti.

Pārāyanavaggo pañcamo.

Suttuddānaṁ

Urago dhaniyopi ca,

Khaggavisāṇo kasi ca;

Cundo bhavo punadeva,

Vasalo ca karaṇīyañca;

Hemavato atha yakkho,

Vijayasuttaṁ munisuttavaranti.

Paṭhamakaṭṭhavaro varavaggo,

Dvādasasuttadharo suvibhatto;

Desito cakkhumatā vimalena,

Suyyati vaggavaro uragoti.

Ratanāmagandho hirimaṅgalanāmo,

Sucilomakapilo ca brāhmaṇadhammo;

Nāvā kiṁsīlauṭṭhahano ca,

Rāhulo ca punapi vaṅgīso.

Sammāparibbājanīyopi cettha,

Dhammikasuttavaro suvibhatto;

Cuddasasuttadharo dutiyamhi,

Cūḷakavaggavaroti tamāhu.

Pabbajjapadhānasubhāsitanāmo,

Pūraḷāso punadeva māgho ca;

Sabhiyaṁ keṇiyameva sallanāmo,

Vāseṭṭhavaro kālikopi ca.

Nālakasuttavaro suvibhatto,

Taṁ anupassī tathā punadeva;

Dvādasasuttadharo tatiyamhi,

Suyyati vaggavaro mahānāmo.

Kāmaguhaṭṭhakaduṭṭhakanāmā,

Suddhavaro paramaṭṭhakanāmo;

Jarā mettiyavaro suvibhatto,

Pasūramāgaṇḍiyā purābhedo.

Kalahavivādo ubho viyuhā ca,

Tuvaṭakaattadaṇḍasāriputtā;

Soḷasasuttadharo catutthamhi,

Aṭṭhakavaggavaroti tamāhu.

Magadhe janapade ramaṇīye,

Desavare katapuññanivese;

Pāsāṇakacetiyavare suvibhatte,

Vasi bhagavā gaṇaseṭṭho.

Ubhayavāsamāgatiyamhi,

Dvādasayojaniyā parisāya;

Soḷasabrāhmaṇānaṁ kira puṭṭho,

Pucchāya soḷasapañhakammiyā;

Nippakāsayi dhammamadāsi.

Atthapakāsakabyañjanapuṇṇaṁ,

Dhammamadesesi parakhemajaniyaṁ;

Lokahitāya jino dvipadaggo,

Suttavaraṁ bahudhammavicitraṁ;

Sabbakilesapamocanahetuṁ,

Desayi suttavaraṁ dvipadaggo.

Byañjanamatthapadaṁ samayuttaṁ,

Akkharasaññitaopamagāḷhaṁ;

Lokavicāraṇañāṇapabhaggaṁ,

Desayi suttavaraṁ dvipadaggo.

Rāgamale amalaṁ vimalaggaṁ,

Dosamale amalaṁ vimalaggaṁ;

Mohamale amalaṁ vimalaggaṁ,

Lokavicāraṇañāṇapabhaggaṁ;

Desayi suttavaraṁ dvipadaggo.

Klesamale amalaṁ vimalaggaṁ,

Duccaritamale amalaṁ vimalaggaṁ;

Lokavicāraṇañāṇapabhaggaṁ,

Desayi suttavaraṁ dvipadaggo.

Āsavabandhanayogākilesaṁ,

Nīvaraṇāni ca tīṇi malāni;

Tassa kilesapamocanahetuṁ,

Desayi suttavaraṁ dvipadaggo.

Nimmalasabbakilesapanūdaṁ,

Rāgavirāgamanejamasokaṁ;

Santapaṇītasududdasadhammaṁ,

Desayi suttavaraṁ dvipadaggo.

Rāgañca dosakamabhañjitasantaṁ,

Yonicatuggatipañcaviññāṇaṁ;

Taṇhāratacchadanatāṇalatāpamokkhaṁ,

Desayi suttavaraṁ dvipadaggo.

Gambhīraduddasasaṇhanipuṇaṁ,

Paṇḍitavedaniyaṁ nipuṇatthaṁ;

Lokavicāraṇañāṇapabhaggaṁ,

Desayi suttavaraṁ dvipadaggo.

Navaṅgakusumamālagīveyyaṁ,

Indriyajhānavimokkhavibhattaṁ;

Aṭṭhaṅgamaggadharaṁ varayānaṁ,

Desayi suttavaraṁ dvipadaggo.

Somupamaṁ vimalaṁ parisuddhaṁ,

Aṇṇavamūpamaratanasucittaṁ;

Pupphasamaṁ ravimūpamatejaṁ,

Desayi suttavaraṁ dvipadaggo.

Khemasivaṁ sukhasītalasantaṁ,

Maccutatāṇaparaṁ paramatthaṁ;

Tassa sunibbutadassanahetuṁ,

Desayi suttavaraṁ dvipadaggoti.

Suttanipātapāḷi samattā.

SC 1SC Verse 1138Piṅgiya
“Going to the Further Shore”, I’ll chant—
As He had Seen so did He teach,
that pure One of wisdom profound,
rid of desire and (interior) jungle—
falsehood—for what reason would he speak?

SC 2SC Verse 1139Now therefore I shall eulogize
those words profoundly beautiful,
of One who has renounced the stains
of delusion, pride, hypocrisy.

SC 3SC Verse 1140All-seer, Awake, Dispeller of dark,
beyond all being gone, gone to world’s end,
with no inflows left, let go of all dukkha-causes,
that one is “brahmin” rightly named: him do I serve.

SC 4SC Verse 1141As bird that leaves behind a copse,
might then in fruit-filled forest live,
so have I left those of wisdom lean,
as swan to a great lake arrived.

SC 5SC Verse 1142Those who explained to me before,
I heard the Buddha’s utterance,
said “thus it was”, “thus will be”—
all that was only oral lore,
all that promoted more disputes.

SC 6SC Verse 1143Dispeller of darkness, seated alone,
the well-born, him the maker of Light,
Gotama, him profoundly wise,
Gotama, greatly intelligent—

SC 7SC Verse 1144the Dharma to me he pointed out,
which can be seen right here and now,
by time, not limited at all,
craving’s exhaustion, troubles’ end,
with which naught can compare.

SC 8SC Verse 1145Brahmin
How can you live apart from him,
Even for a minute, Piṅgiya?
Gotama of such profound wisdom,
Gotama of such profound sagacity.

SC 9SC Verse 1146Who pointed out the Dhamma to you,
Apparent in this very life,
The ending of craving, free of distress,
With which naught can compare.

SC 10SC Verse 1147Piṅgiya
I never live apart from him,
Even for a minute, brahmin
Gotama of such profound wisdom,
Gotama of such profound sagacity.

SC 11SC Verse 1148Who pointed out the Dhamma to me,
Apparent in this very life,
The ending of craving, free of distress,
With which naught can compare.

SC 12SC Verse 1149I see him with my mind’s eye, brahmin,
Being heedful night and day;
I spend the night revering him,
So I think I am never apart from him.

SC 13SC Verse 1150The mind of faith and rapture, mindfulness,
from Gotama’s teachings never does depart,
for in whoever way the Deeply-Wise One goes,
to that very direction do I bow down.

SC 14SC Verse 1151I am old, my strength is gone,
So my body cannot carry me there.
But my thoughts always travel there,
For my mind, brahmin, is devoted to him.

SC 15SC Verse 1152Floundering in the mud, I lay,
Swimming from island to island,
Then I saw the Awakened Buddha,
Crossed over the flood, free of inflows.

SC 16SC Verse 1153Buddha
Just as Vakkali was sure in faith,
Bhadrāvudha, and Āḷavigotama, too,
In the same way, you too should be sure of your faith,
And, Piṅgiya, you will go to the far shore of death.

SC 17SC Verse 1154Piṅgiya
Thus my inspiration grows even more,
Hearing the voice of the Sage;
The Buddha, who drew back the veil of the world,
Without heartlessness, of inspired speech,

SC 18SC Verse 1155Knows what is beyond the gods,
Knows all, both high and low,
The Teacher who puts and end to questions
Of those who declare their doubts.

SC 19SC Verse 1156The immovable, unshakeable,
That to which there is no compare:
For sure, I will go there,
I have no doubt of that.
You may remember me
As one who’s mind is made up.