Aṅguttara-Nikāya
Pañcaka-Nipāta
IV. Sumanā Vagga
The Book of the Gradual Sayings
The Book of the Fives
IV: Sumanā
Sutta 40
Mahā Sāla Suttaɱ
Sal Trees
Translated by E. M. Hare
Copyright The Pali Text Society
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Once the Exalted One addressed the monks, saying:
"Monks."
'Yes, lord,' they replied; and the Exalted One said:
"Monks,[1] the great sāl trees,
supported by Himālaya,
the mountain king,
grow in five growths.
What five?
They grow in branches,
leaves and foliage;
they grow in bark;
in shoots;
in pith;
they grow in heart.
Monks, the great sāl trees,
supported by Himālaya,
the mountain king,
grow in these five growths.
Even so, monks,
folk within a home,
supported by a believing clan-chief,
grow in five growths.
What five?
They grow in faith,
in virtue,
in learning,
in charity,
they grow in insight.
Monks, folk within a home,
supported by a believing clan-chief,
grow in these five growths.
Where[2] rise Himālaya's rocky mountain slopes
The trees and forest-giants there find place
For growth amid the jungle's massy groves:
So in a virtuous, believing chief,
Wife, sons, kith, kin, friends, followers find place
For growth. The well-behaved, with wit to see,
Will emulate the virtues of that man,
[37] His liberal ways;[3] the way of Dhamma here
Will take which leads to heaven, and after dwell,
Joying in joy of devas, happy, glad.'
[1] Cf. the whole sutta with A. i, 152 (G.S. i, 136); on sāl trees, see K.S. v, 266 n. These parts of a tree are stock; see above, § 25; M. i, 192; the five 'growths' for a layman recur below, § 46 f. and 63; in the 'Sevens' at A. iv, 4, D. iii, 163 as 'treasures.'
[2] I have ventured to translate this simile rather differently from G.S. loc. cit., following the prose. The gāthā does not bring in Himālaya, and A.A. ii, 252 on A. i merely remarks that selo means made of rock, but in Sanskrit the word has a definite connection with Himālaya; see Macdonell's Dict. s.v.; Buddhaghosa would probably not be aware of this; see P.E.D. and Dr. Stede's Afterword, p. 203.
[3] The last two lines of the text, recur at It. 112; with variation at A. ii, 62; the last pāda of the second line at It. 19; Thag. 242. (In the uddāna, with v.l. and S.e. we should read putta-sālehi, no doubt.)
