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WARREN: BUDDHISM IN TRANSLATIONS |
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§ 77. The Attainment of Nirvana by Godhika Translated from the Dhammapada, and from Buddhaghosa's Commentary to stanza 57
[381]
"Of such as these, in virtues rich." This doctrinal instruction was given by The Teacher while dwelling at Bamboo Grove in the vicinity of RĪjagaha; and it was concerning the attainment of Nirvana by Godhika the elder. This venerable man, while dwelling at Black Rock on the slopes of Isigili, being vigilant, austere, and strenuous, attained release for his mind in ecstatic meditation, and then through the power of a disease which beset him, the trance was broken up. A second time, a third time, up to the sixth time was his trance broken up. At the seventh time, he thought, "Six times has my trance been broken up, and doubtful is the fate of those who fail in trance. This time I will resort to the knife." And taking a razor for shaving the hair, he lay down on a couch in order to cut his windpipe. MĪra, the Slayer, perceived his intention, and thought, "This priest is about to use the knife; but they who do so are indifferent to life, and such attain to insight and saintship. If I should attempt to dissuade him, he would not heed me. I will get The Teacher to dissuade him." Then he disguised himself, and drawing near to The Teacher, he spoke as follows:
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At this instant the elder used the knife. The Teacher recognized the Slayer, and pronounced the following stanza:
Then The Blessed One, with a great number of priests, went to the place where the elder had lain down and used the knife. At that moment the Slayer, the Wicked One, had become a pillar of smoke, as it were, or a bunch of darkness; and wondering to himself, "Where can it have fixed itself?" was searching in all directions for the elder's rebirth-consciousness. The Blessed One pointed out to the priests the smoke and darkness, and said, "That, O priests, is the Slayer, the Wicked One. He is searching for the consciousness of the noble Godhika, to find out where it has fixed itself. But the noble Godhika, O priests, has attained Nirvana, and his consciousness has not fixed itself." The Slayer, being unable to find out where the elder's consciousness was, assumed the appearance of a youth with a lute of the white wood of the bel-tree, and drawing near to The Teacher, he said, "Where has Godhika gone? Though I search upwards [383] and downwards, and to all the points and intermediate points of the compass, I do not meet him." Then said The Teacher to him,
And The Teacher said: "O Wicked One, what have you to do with the place of rebirth of the noble Godhika? A hundred or a thousand such as you could never detect his place of rebirth." So saying, he pronounced the stanza,
The Story of the Attainment of Nirvana by Godhika the Elder.
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