Aṇguttara Nikāya
X. Dasaka-Nipāta
VII. Yamaka Vagga
The Book of the Gradual Sayings
X. The Book of the Tens
VII: The Pairs
Sutta 67
Paṭhama Naḷakapāna Suttaṃ
At Naḷakapāna (a)
Translated from the Pali by F. L. Woodward, M.A.
Copyright The Pali Text Society
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[1] Thus have I heard:
Once the Exalted One was going his rounds among the Kosalans
together with a number of monks,
and came to Naḷakapāna,[1]
a Kosalan township of that name.
There the Exalted One resided at Judas-Tree Grove.
Now on that occasion
the Exalted One was seated surrounded by monks,
the day being the sabbath.
And when the Exalted One
for much of the night
had instructed,
stirred,
fired,
and gladdened the monks
with a talk about dhamma
on looking round
and seeing that the order of monks was perfectly silent,[2]
he called to the venerable Sāriputta, saying:
"Sāri- [84] putta, the order of monks [123] has banished sloth-and-torpor.
Let some dhamma-talk occur to you.
My back aches.
I will ease it."[3]
■
"Very well, sir," replied the venerable Sāriputta to the Exalted One.
Then the Exalted One had his robe spread fourfold,
and lying on his right side
he took up the lion-posture,
resting foot on foot,
mindful and composed,
fixing his thoughts on rising up again.
§
Thereupon the venerable Sāriputta called to the monks, saying:
"Monks, your reverences."
"Yes, Sāriputta, your reverence,"
replied those monks to the venerable Sāriputta, who said:
"Your reverences, whosoever hath not faith in good states,
whosoever hath not modesty and self-respect,
energy and wisdom in good states,
for such an one,
come night, come day,
waning
not waxing
in good states
is to be looked for.
■
Just as, your reverences,
in the dark period of the moon,
come night, come day,
it wanes in beauty,
wanes in roundness,
in splendour,
wanes in the height and compass of its orbit,
even so, your reverences,
in whomsoever there is not faith in good states,
whosoever hath not modesty and self-respect,
energy and wisdom in good states,
for such an one,
come night, come day,
waning
not waxing
in good states
is to be looked for.
■
To say 'a man, a person, is faithless,'
this implies waning,
-◦-
to say 'a man, a person, is immodest,'
this implies waning,
-◦-
to say 'a man, a person, is without self-respect,'
this implies waning,
-◦-
to say 'a man, a person, is sluggish,'
this implies waning,
-◦-
to say 'a man, a person, is weak in wisdom,'
this implies waning,
-◦-
to say 'a man, a person, is wrathful,'
this implies waning,
-◦-
to say 'a man, a person, is grudging,'
this implies waning,
-◦-
to say 'a man, a person, is of evil desires,'
this implies waning,
-◦-
to say 'a man, a person, has evil friends,'
this implies waning,
-◦-
to say 'a man, a person, is of wrong view,'
this, your reverences, constitutes waning.
§
But in whomsoever there is faith in good states,
modesty,
self-respect,
energy,
[124] wisdom in good states -
in such, come night, come day,
growth in good states is to be looked for,
not waning.
■
Just as, your reverences,
in the bright period of the moon,
come night, come day,
it waxes in beauty,
waxes in roundness, [85]
waxes in splendour,
in the height and compass of its orbit,
even so, in whomsoever there is faith in good states,
modesty,
self-respect,
energy,
wisdom in good states -
in such, come night, come day,
growth in good states is to be looked for,
not waning.
■
To say 'a man, a person, is faithful,'
this constitutes not-waning;
-◦-
to say 'a man, a person, is modest,'
this constitutes not-waning;
-◦-
to say 'a man, a person, is self-respecting,'
this constitutes not-waning;
-◦-
to say 'a man, a person, is stoutly energetic,'
this constitutes not-waning;
-◦-
to say 'a man, a person, is strong in wisdom,'
this constitutes not-waning;
-◦-
to say 'a man, a person, is without wrath,'
this constitutes not-waning;
-◦-
to say 'a man, a person, is without grudging,'
this constitutes not-waning;
-◦-
to say 'a man, a person, is of small desires,'
this constitutes not-waning;
-◦-
to say 'a man, a person, has a lovely friend,'
this constitutes not-waning;
-◦-
to say 'a man, a person, has right view' -
this, your reverences, constitutes not-waning."
Thereupon the Exalted One,
rising up again,
called to the venerable Sāriputta, saying:
"Well said! Well said, Sāriputta!
In whomsoever there is not faith in good states,
whosoever hath not modesty and self-respect,
energy and wisdom in good states,
for such an one,
come night, come day,
waning
not waxing
in good states
is to be looked for.
■
Just as, Sāriputta,
in the dark period of the moon,
come night, come day,
it wanes in beauty,
wanes in roundness,
in splendour,
wanes in the height and compass of its orbit,
even so, Sāriputta,
in whomsoever there is not faith in good states,
whosoever hath not modesty and self-respect,
energy and wisdom in good states,
for such an one,
come night, come day,
[125] waning
not waxing
in good states
is to be looked for.
■
To say 'a man, a person, is faithless,'
this implies waning;
-◦-
to say 'a man, a person, is immodest,'
this implies waning;
-◦-
to say 'a man, a person, is without self-respect,'
this implies waning;
-◦-
to say 'a man, a person, is sluggish,'
this implies waning;
-◦-
to say 'a man, a person, is weak in wisdom,'
this implies waning;
-◦-
to say 'a man, a person, is wrathful,'
this implies waning;
-◦-
to say 'a man, a person, is grudging,'
this implies waning;
-◦-
to say 'a man, a person, is of evil desires,'
this implies waning;
-◦-
to say 'a man, a person, has evil friends,'
this implies waning;
-◦-
to say 'a man, a person, is of wrong view,'
this, Sāriputta, constitutes waning.
§
But in whomsoever there is faith in good states,
modesty,
self-respect,
energy,
wisdom in good states -
in such, come night, come day,
growth in good states is to be looked for,
not waning.
■
Just as, Sāriputta,
in the bright period of the moon,
come night, come day,
it waxes in beauty,
waxes in roundness,
waxes in splendour,
in the height and compass of its orbit,
even so, in whomsoever there is faith in good states,
modesty,
self-respect,
energy,
wisdom in good states -
in such, come night, come day,
growth in good states is to be looked for,
not waning.
■
To say 'a man, a person, is faithful,'
this constitutes not-waning;
-◦-
to say 'a man, a person, is modest,'
this constitutes not-waning;
-◦-
to say 'a man, a person, is self-respecting,'
this constitutes not-waning;
-◦-
to say 'a man, a person, is stoutly energetic,'
this constitutes not-waning;
-◦-
to say 'a man, a person, is strong in wisdom,'
this constitutes not-waning;
-◦-
to say 'a man, a person, is without wrath,'
this constitutes not-waning;
-◦-
to say 'a man, a person, is without grudging,'
this constitutes not-waning;
-◦-
to say 'a man, a person, is of small desires,'
this constitutes not-waning;
-◦-
to say 'a man, a person, has a lovely friend,'
this constitutes not-waning;
-◦-
to say 'a man, a person, has right view' -
this, Sāriputta, constitutes not-waning.'
[1] Cf. M. i, 462 (Naḷakapāna-sutta, 'cane-drink'), where Comy. refers to JA. 20. The Bodhisattva, as a monkey, taught his followers to drink water through hollow reeds; hence the name.
[2] Tuṇhī-bhūtaṃ tuṇhī-bhūtaṃ.
[3] Āyamissāmi, literally 'stretch it,' an incident whieh occurs several times. On such occasions the instruction was handed over to Sāriputta, Moggallāna or Ānanda - e.g., K.S. iv, 118.
