Aṇguttara Nikāya
VIII. Navaka Nipāta
III. Satt'Āvāsa Vagga
The Book of the Gradual Sayings
VIII. The Book of the Nines
Chapter III: Spheres of Beings
Sutta 22
Khaḷuṇka Suttaṃ
The Excitable Steed
Translated from the Pali by E.M. Hare.
Copyright The Pali Text Society
Commercial Rights Reserved
For details see Terms of Use.
[1] Thus have I heard:
Once the Exalted One was dwelling near Savatthī, at Jeta Grove, in Anāthapiṇḍika's Park.
There he addressed the monks, saying: "Monks."
"Yes, lord," they replied; and the Exalted One said:
"Monks, I will tell you of the three excitable steeds[1]
and of the three excitable men;
of the three well-bred[2] steeds
and of the three well-bred men;
of the three noble thoroughbred steeds
and of the three noble thoroughbred men.
Listen, pay heed, I will speak."
"Yes, lord," they replied; and the Exalted One said:
§
"And what, monks, are the three excitable steeds?
Herein one horse is speedy,
but is not graceful,[3]
nor goodly in build [267] and girth;[4]
another is speedy and graceful,
but not goodly in build and girth;
and another is speedy and graceful
and goodly in build and girth.
Monks, these are the three excitable steeds.
■
And what, monks, are the three excitable men?
Herein one man is quick-witted,[5] but not full of grace,[6]
nor goodly in build and girth;
another is quick-witted and full of grace,
but not goodly in build and girth;
and another is quick-witted
and full of grace
and goodly in build and girth.
§
And how, monks, is an excitable man quick-witted,
but not full of grace,
nor goodly in build and girth?
Herein, monks, a monk understands:
This is ill-as it really is;
understands:
This is the origin of ill-as it really is;
understands:
This is the ending of ill-as it really is;
understands:
This is the practice leading to the ending of ill-as it really is.
This I declare of his quick-wittedness.
■
But when questioned on More-Dhamma[7]
and on More-Discipline,
he fails and cannot answer the questions.
This I declare of his lack of grace.
■
Nor does he receive the requisites:
the robe,
alms,
lodging
and medicine for sickness.
This I declare of his lack of goodliness in build and girth.
■
Thus, monks, an excitable man is quick-witted,
but not full of grace,
nor goodly in build and girth.
§
And how, monks, is an excitable man quick-witted
and full of grace,
but not goodly in build and girth?
Herein, monks, a monk understands:
This is ill-as it really is;
understands:
This is the origin of ill-as it really is;
understands:
This is the ending of ill-as it really is;
understands:
This is the practice leading to the ending of ill-as it really is.
This I declare of his quick-wittedness.
■
When questioned on More-Dhamma
and on More-Discipline,
he does not fail to answer the questions.
This I declare of his grace.
■
But he does not receive the requisites:
the robe,
alms,
lodging
and medicine for sickness.
This I declare of his lack of goodliness in build and girth.
■
Thus, monks, is an excitable man quick-witted
and full of grace,
but not goodly in build and girth.
§
And how, monks, is an excitable man quick-witted
and full of grace
and goodly in build and girth?
Herein, monks, a monk understands:
This is ill-as it really is;
understands:
This is the origin of ill-as it really is;
understands:
This is the ending of ill-as it really is;
understands:
This is the practice leading to the ending of ill-as it really is.
This I declare of his quick-wittedness.
■
When questioned on More-Dhamma
and on More-Discipline,
he does not fail to answer the questions.
This I declare of his grace.
■
And he does receive the requisites:
the robe,
alms,
lodging
and medicine for sickness.
This I declare of his goodliness in build and girth.
■
Thus, monks, is an excitable man quick-witted
and full of grace,
and goodly in build and girth.
[268] Monks, these are the three excitable men.
§
And what, monks, are the three well-bred steeds?
Herein one horse is speedy,
but is not graceful,
nor goodly in build and girth;
another is speedy and graceful,
but not goodly in build and girth;
and another is speedy and graceful
and goodly in build and girth.
Monks, these are the three well-bred steeds.
■
And what, monks, are the three well-bred men?
Herein one man is quick-witted, but not full of grace,
nor goodly in build and girth;
another is quick-witted and full of grace,
but not goodly in build and girth;
and another is quick-witted
and full of grace
and goodly in build and girth.
Monks, these are the three well-bred men.
§
And how, monks, is a well-bred man quick-witted,
but not full of grace,
nor goodly in build and girth?
Herein, monks, a monk
after completely destroying the five lower fetters,
is reborn spontaneously
and not being subject to return from that world,
becomes completely cool there.
I declare this of his quick-wittedness.
■
But when questioned on More-Dhamma
and on More-Discipline,
he fails and cannot answer the questions.
This I declare of his lack of grace.
■
Nor does he receive the requisites:
the robe,
alms,
lodging
and medicine for sickness.
This I declare of his lack of goodliness in build and girth.
■
Thus, monks, a well-bred man is quick-witted,
but not full of grace,
nor goodly in build and girth.
§
And how, monks, is a well-bred man quick-witted,
full of grace,
but not goodly in build and girth?
Herein, monks, a monk
after completely destroying the five lower fetters,
is reborn spontaneously
and not being subject to return from that world,
becomes completely cool there.
I declare this of his quick-wittedness.
■
When questioned on More-Dhamma
and on More-Discipline,
he does not fail to answer the questions.
This I declare of his grace.
■
But he does he receive the requisites:
the robe,
alms,
lodging
and medicine for sickness.
This I declare of his lack of goodliness in build and girth.
Thus, monks, a well-bred man is quick-witted,
full of grace,
but not goodly in build and girth.
§
And how, monks, is a well-bred man quick-witted,
full of grace,
and goodly in build and girth?
Herein, monks, a monk
after completely destroying the five lower fetters,
is reborn spontaneously
and not being subject to return from that world,
becomes completely cool there.
I declare this of his quick-wittedness.
■
When questioned on More-Dhamma
and on More-Discipline,
he does not fail to answer the questions.
This I declare of his grace.
■
And he receives the requisites:
the robe,
alms,
lodging
and medicine for sickness.
This I declare of his goodliness in build and girth.
Thus, monks, a well-bred man is quick-witted,
full of grace,
and goodly in build and girth.
These, monks, are the three well-bred men.
§
And what, monks, are the three noble thoroughbred steeds?
Herein one horse is speedy,
but is not graceful,
nor goodly in build and girth;
another is speedy and graceful,
but not goodly in build and girth;
and another is speedy and graceful
and goodly in build and girth.
Monks, these are the three noble thoroughbred steeds.
■
And what, monks, are the three noble thoroughbred men?
Herein one man is quick-witted, but not full of grace,
nor goodly in build and girth;
another is quick-witted and full of grace,
but not goodly in build and girth;
and another is quick-witted
and full of grace
and goodly in build and girth.
Monks, these are the three noble thoroughbred men.
§
And how, monks, is a noble thoroughbred man quick-witted,
but not full of grace,
nor goodly in build and girth?
Herein, monks, a monk destroys the cankers
and enters into and abides in
the emancipation of the mind and wisdom,
knowing and realising this state for himself,
even in this present life.
I declare this of his quick-wittedness.
■
But when questioned on More-Dhamma
and on More-Discipline,
he fails and cannot answer the questions.
This I declare of his lack of grace.
■
Nor does he receive the requisites:
the robe,
alms,
lodging
and medicine for sickness.
This I declare of his lack of goodliness in build and girth.
Thus, monks, a noble thoroughbred man is quick-witted,
but not full of grace,
nor goodly in build and girth.
§
And how, monks, is a noble thoroughbred man quick-witted,
full of grace,
but not goodly in build and girth?
Herein, monks, a monk destroys the cankers
and enters into and abides in
the emancipation of the mind and wisdom,
knowing and realising this state for himself,
even in this present life.
I declare this of his quick-wittedness.
■
When questioned on More-Dhamma
and on More-Discipline,
he does not fail to answer the questions.
This I declare of his grace.
■
But he does he receive the requisites:
the robe,
alms,
lodging
and medicine for sickness.
This I declare of his lack of goodliness in build and girth.
Thus, monks, a noble thoroughbred man is quick-witted,
full of grace,
but not goodly in build and girth.
§
And how, monks, is a noble thoroughbred man quick-witted,
full of grace,
and goodly in build and girth?
Herein, monks, a monk destroys the cankers
and enters into and abides in
the emancipation of the mind and wisdom,
knowing and realising this state for himself,
even in this present life.
I declare this of his quick-wittedness.
■
When questioned on More-Dhamma
and on More-Discipline,
he does not fail to answer the questions.
This I declare of his grace.
■
And he receives the requisites:
the robe,
alms,
lodging
and medicine for sickness.
This I declare of his goodliness in build and girth.
Thus, monks, a noble thoroughbred man is quick-witted,
full of grace,
and goodly in build and girth.
These, monks, are the three noble thoroughbred men."
[1] Khaḷunka. Comy. refers to the remarks ad A. i, 287 (Mp. 498), and there glosses: pota, young; cf. above, p. 131 ff.; A. ii, 250; v, 323.
[2] Sadassa.
[3] Vaṇṇāsampanna, endowed with beauty.
[4] Ārohapariṇāhasampanna. Mp., loc. cit., uccabhāvaparimaṇḍalabhava.
[5] Javasampanna. Comy. ñāṇajavena sampanno; cf. Cpd. 245.
[6] Na vaṇṇa-. Comy. explains, na guṇavaṇṇa-.
[7] Abhidhamme abhivinaye; cf. Dial. iii, 246 n.; M. i, 472; Vin. i, 64.
