Sutta 8

If it's worth doing,
it's worth doing right

Tāyana Suttaṁ

Tāyama

Translated from the Pāḷi
by
Michael M. Olds

[8.1][rhyc] I Hear Tell:

Once upon a time, The Lucky man,
Sāvatthi-town revisiting,
Jeta Grove,
Anathapiṇḍika's Sporting Grounds.

There, towards the end of night,
a divinity of surpassing radiance,
illuminating the while
the whole of JetaWoods Park
with his surpassing radiance,
approached The Lucky Man.

Having approached The Lucky Man
he stood to one side.

Standing to one side
that deity said this to The Lucky Man:

"Cut off the stream make extra effort to drive out sense desires, Brahmin! Not let go, concentration does not arise in the sage.

"Kayirā ce kayirāthenaṁ daḷhamenaṁ(strong) parakkame,||
Sithilohi paribbājo bhiyyo ākirate rajaṁ.|| ||

Akataṁ dukkataṁ seyyo pacchā tapati dukkataṁ,||
Katañ ca sukataṁ seyyo yaṁ katvā nānutappati.|| ||

Kuso yathā duggahito hatthamevānukantati,||
Sāmaññaṁ dupparāmaṭṭhaṁ Nirayāyūpakaḍḍhati.|| ||

Yaṁ kiñci sithilaṁ kammaṁ saṅkiliṭṭhañca yaṁ vataṁ,||
Saṅkassaraṁ Brahma-cariyaṁ na taṁ hoti maha-p-phalan" ti.|| ||

Idam avoca Tāyano deva-putto.|| ||

"Idaṁ vatvā Bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā padakkhiṇaṁ katvā tatth'ev'antara-dhāyā" ti.|| ||

Atha kho Bhagavā tassā rattiyā accayena bhikkhū āmantesi:|| ||

"Imaṁ bhikkhave rattiṁ tāyano nāma deva-putto purāṇatitthakaro abhikkantāya rattiyā abhikkanta-vaṇṇo kevala-kappaṁ Jetavanaṁ obhāsetvā yenāhaṁ ten'upasaṅkami.||
Upasaṅkamitvā maṁ abhivādetvā eka-m-antaṁ aṭṭhāsi.|| ||

Eka-m-antaṁ ṭhito bhikkhave tāyano deva-putto mama santike imā gāthāyo abhāsi:|| ||

'Chinda sotaṁ parakkamma kāme panuda4 brāhmaṇa,||
Na-p-pahāya muni kāme n'ekattam uppajjati.|| ||

Kayirā ce kayirāth'enaṁ daḷham enaṁ parakkame,||
[50] Sithilo hi paribbājo bhiyyo ākirate rajam.|| ||

Akataṁ dukkataṁ seyyo pacchā tapati dukkataṁ,||
Katañ ca sukataṁ seyyo yaṁ katvā nānutappati.|| ||

Kuso yathā duggahito hatthamevānukantati,||
Sāmaññaṁ dupparāmaṭṭhaṁ Nirayāyūpakaḍḍhati.|| ||

Yaṁ kiñci sithilaṁ kammaṁ||
saṅkiliṭṭhañ ca yaṁ vataṁ,||
Saṅkassaraṁ Brahma-cariyaṁ||
na taṁ hoti maha-p-phalan' ti.|| ||

Idam avoca Tāyano deva-putto.|| ||

Idaṁ vatvā maṁ abhivādetvā padakkhiṇaṁ katvā tatth'evantara-dhāyi.|| ||

Uggaṇhātha bhikkhave,||
Tāyanagāthā,||
pariyāpuṇātha bhikkhave,||
Tāyanagāthā.|| ||

Dhāretha bhikkhave,||
Tāyanagāthā.|| ||

Attha-saṁhitā bhikkhave,||
tāyanagāthā||
Ādibrahma-cariyikā" ti.|| ||