AN 3.38 The Four Great Kings (2nd)

Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).

“Bhūtapubbaṁ, bhikkhave, sakko devānamindo deve tāvatiṁse anunayamāno tāyaṁ velāyaṁ imaṁ gāthaṁ abhāsi:

¶ 1“Once upon a time, mendicants, Sakka, lord of gods, guiding the gods of the thirty-three, spoke this verse:

‘Cātuddasiṁ pañcadasiṁ,

¶ 2‘Whoever wants to be like me

yā ca pakkhassa aṭṭhamī;

¶ 3would observe the sabbath

Pāṭihāriyapakkhañca,

¶ 4complete in all eight factors,

aṭṭhaṅgasusamāgataṁ;

¶ 5on the fourteenth and the fifteenth days,

Uposathaṁ upavaseyya,

¶ 6and the eighth day of the fortnight,

yopissa mādiso naro’ti.

¶ 7as well as on the fortnightly special displays.’

Sā kho panesā, bhikkhave, sakkena devānamindena gāthā duggītā na sugītā dubbhāsitā na subhāsitā.

¶ 8But that verse was poorly sung by Sakka, lord of gods, not well sung; poorly spoken, not well spoken.

Taṁ kissa hetu?

¶ 9Why is that?

Sakko hi, bhikkhave, devānamindo aparimutto jātiyā jarāya maraṇena sokehi paridevehi dukkhehi domanassehi upāyāsehi, ‘aparimutto dukkhasmā’ti vadāmi.

¶ 10Because Sakka, lord of gods, is not exempt from rebirth, old age, and death, from sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress. He is not exempt from suffering, I say.

Yo ca kho so, bhikkhave, bhikkhu arahaṁ khīṇāsavo vusitavā katakaraṇīyo ohitabhāro anuppattasadattho parikkhīṇabhavasaṁyojano sammadaññāvimutto, tassa kho etaṁ, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno kallaṁ vacanāya:

¶ 11But for a mendicant who is perfected—with defilements ended, who has completed the spiritual journey, done what had to be done, laid down the burden, achieved their heart’s goal, utterly ended the fetter of continued existence, and is rightly freed through enlightenment—it is appropriate to say:

‘Cātuddasiṁ pañcadasiṁ,

¶ 12‘Whoever wants to be like me

yā ca pakkhassa aṭṭhamī;

¶ 13would observe the sabbath,

Pāṭihāriyapakkhañca,

¶ 14complete in all eight factors,

aṭṭhaṅgasusamāgataṁ;

¶ 15on the fourteenth and the fifteenth days,

Uposathaṁ upavaseyya,

¶ 16and the eighth day of the fortnight,

yopissa mādiso naro’ti.

¶ 17as well as on the fortnightly special displays.’

Taṁ kissa hetu?

¶ 18Why is that?

So hi, bhikkhave, bhikkhu parimutto jātiyā jarāya maraṇena sokehi paridevehi dukkhehi domanassehi upāyāsehi, ‘parimutto dukkhasmā’ti vadāmī”ti.

¶ 19Because that mendicant is exempt from rebirth, old age, and death, from sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress. He is exempt from suffering, I say.”