Saṃyutta Nikāya
II. Nidāna Vagga
20. Opamma-Saṃutta

The Book of the Kindred Sayings
II. The Book Called the Nidāna-Vagga
Containing Kindred sayings on Cause
and Other Subjects
20. Kindred Sayings on Parables

Sutta 7

Āṇi Suttaṃ

The Drum-Peg

 

Translated by Mrs. Rhys Davids
Assisted by F. L. Woodward

Originally Published by
The Pali Text Society
Public Domain

 

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[178]

[1][than] Thus have I heard:

The Exalted One was once staying near Sāvatthi at the Jeta Grove in Anāthapiṇḍika's Park. There the Exalted One addressed the brethren: —

[2] "Once upon a time, brethren,
the Dasārahas had a kettle­drum called Summoner.^[1]

[3] As it began to split
the Dasārahas fixed in ever another peg,
until the time came
that the Summoner's original drumhead
had vanished
and only the framework of pegs remained.

[4] [179] Even so, brethren,
will the brethren become
in the future.

[5] Those Suttantas uttered by the Tathāgata,
deep,
deep in meaning,
not of the world,
dealing with the void,
to these when uttered,
they will not listen,
they will not lend a ready ear,
they will not bring to them
an understanding heart,
they will not deem those doctrines
that which should be learnt by heart,
that which should be mastered.

[6] But those Suttantas
which are made by poets,
which are poetry,
which are a manifold of words,
a manifold of phrases,
alien,
the utterances of disciples,
to these when uttered
they will listen,
they will lend a ready ear,
they will bring an understanding heart,
they will deem these doctrines
that which should be learnt by heart,
which should be mastered.

Thus it is, brethren,
that the Suttantas uttered by the Tathāgata,
deep,
deep in meaning,
not of the world,
dealing with the void,
will disappear.

[7] Wherefore, brethren, ye are thus to train yourselves :-

To these very Suttantas will we listen,
will we give a ready ear,
to these will we bring an understanding heart.

And we will deem these doctrines
that which should be learnt by heart,
and mastered:
- even thus.

 

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^[1] Ānaka or āṇaka, so explained by the Comy.. 'As if summoning the people, it brought them together.' Summoning by drum is mentioned in Jāt. ii, 70 (No. 186); iv, 171 (No. 483), 256. On the name see Jātaka ii, p. 237 (No. 499) (No. 267), where the allusion looks like a gloss.