Aṅguttara-Nikāya
III. Tika Nipāta
XIII. Kusināra Vagga
The Book of the Gradual Sayings
or
More-Numbered Suttas
III. The Book of the Threes
XIII. At Kusināra
Sutta 126
Kaṭuviya Suttaɱ
Corrupt[1]
Translated from the Pali by
F.L. Woodward, M.A.
Copyright The Pali Text Society
Commercial Rights Reserved
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[1][than] On a certain occasion the Exalted One was staying near Benares at Isipatana,
in Antelope Park.
Then the Exalted One,
robing himself in good time
and taking bowl and outer robe,
set out to quest for alms in Benares.
Now the Exalted One
while roaming for alms
near the fig-tree at the cattle-tethering[2]
saw a certain monk
whose delight was in the empty outer joys of sense[3]
lacking concentration,
unstdeady,
not composed,
of flighty mind,
with senses uncontrolled.[4]
On seeing him
he said this to that monk:
"Monk! Monk!
On him who is corrupt
and reeks with the stench of carrion,[5]
the flies will surely settle and attack him,
— they cannot fail to do so."
2. Then that monk,
thus admonished by the Exalted One
with this warning,
was strongly stirred.[6]
[259] When the Exalted One had gone his rounds for alms in Benares
and had returned and eaten his meal
he addressed the monks, saying:
"Monks, after robing myself in good time
and taking bowl and outer robe,
I set out to quest for alms in Benares.
Then while roaming for alms
near the fig-tree at the cattle-tethering
I saw a certain monk
whose delight was in the empty outer joys of sense
lacking concentration,
unstdeady,
not composed,
of flighty mind,
with senses uncontrolled.
On seeing him
I said this to that monk:
'Monk! Monk!
On him who is corrupt
and reeks with the stench of carrion,
the flies will surely settle and attack him,
— they cannot fail to do so.'
Then that monk,
thus admonished by me with that warning,
was strongly stirred."
§
3. At these words a certain monk said to the Exalted One:
"Pray, lord, what is 'corrupt,'
what is 'the stench of carrion,'
what are 'flies'?"
"Greed, monk, is 'corrupt.'
Malice is the 'stenchy of carrion.'
Evil, unprofitable ways of thought are 'flies.'
§
On him who is corrupt
and reeks with the stench of carrion
the flies will surely settle and attack him.
They cannot fail to do so.
On him who guards not eye and ear, whose sense
Is uncontrolled, his thoughts, on passion centered,
like flies will swarm. With stench of carrion reeking,
The monk corupt, who is a thing defiled,
Far from Nibbāna hath his lot in woe.[7]
In village or in forest roams[8] that monk,
Foolish, bewildered, getting him no mate
Like to himself,[9] swarmed round by (passion's) flies.
But they tho, blessed with virtue and composed,
In wisdom's calm rejoice, live happily.
In them the flies (of passion) are destroyed.[10]
[1] Kaṭuviyaṅ = ucchiṭṭhaṅ (outcast, defiled). Comy.
[2] Go-yoga-pilakkhasmiṅ = gāvīnaṅ vikkaya-ṭṭhāne uṭṭhita-palakkhassa santike. Comy.
[3] Ritt'assāda = jhāna-sukhābhāvena paritt'assādaṅ. Comy. Bāhir'assāda = kāma-guṇa-sukha-vāsena b. Comy.
[4] Stock phrases to describe the dissolute. Cf. K.S. v, 241.
[5] Āma-gandhe avassataṅ. Comy. refers the synonym to vissa-gandha Cf. Dhs., § 625, p. 141.
[6] Saṅvegaṅ āpādi. Comy. takes this to mean he became a Streamwinner.
[7] Vighātass'eva bhāgavā = dukkhass'eva bhogī. Comy. Cf. K.S. iv 43 ff.
[8] Pareti = gacchati. Comy
[9] Gāme vā yadi vāraññe vā aladdhā samam attano. Text has strange readings — viz., vā raññe ... sammattano. Cf. Dhp. v. 98, gāme vā yadi vāraññe, and 329, no ce labhetha nipakaṅ sahāyaṅ ...
[10] Nāsayitvāna makkhikā.
