Standing to one side, the young deity Nandana addresses the Buddha in verse on with nandana.

SN 2.14 With Nandana

Ekamantaṁ ṭhito kho nandano devaputto bhagavantaṁ gāthāya ajjhabhāsi:

“Pucchāmi taṁ gotama bhūripañña,
Anāvaṭaṁ bhagavato ñāṇadassanaṁ;
Kathaṁvidhaṁ sīlavantaṁ vadanti,
Kathaṁvidhaṁ paññavantaṁ vadanti;
Kathaṁvidho dukkhamaticca iriyati,
Kathaṁvidhaṁ devatā pūjayantī”ti.

“Yo sīlavā paññavā bhāvitatto,
Samāhito jhānarato satīmā;
Sabbassa sokā vigatā pahīnā,
Khīṇāsavo antimadehadhārī.

Tathāvidhaṁ sīlavantaṁ vadanti,
Tathāvidhaṁ paññavantaṁ vadanti;
Tathāvidho dukkhamaticca iriyati,
Tathāvidhaṁ devatā pūjayantī”ti.

Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).

Ekamantaṁ ṭhito kho nandano devaputto bhagavantaṁ gāthāya ajjhabhāsi:

Standing to one side, the godling Nandana addressed the Buddha in verse:

“Pucchāmi taṁ gotama bhūripañña,

“I ask you, Gotama, whose wisdom is vast,

Anāvaṭaṁ bhagavato ñāṇadassanaṁ;

the Blessed One of unhindered knowledge and vision.

Kathaṁvidhaṁ sīlavantaṁ vadanti,

What sort do they call ethical?

Kathaṁvidhaṁ paññavantaṁ vadanti;

What sort do they call wise?

Kathaṁvidho dukkhamaticca iriyati,

What sort lives on after transcending suffering?

Kathaṁvidhaṁ devatā pūjayantī”ti.

What sort is worshiped by the deities?”

“Yo sīlavā paññavā bhāvitatto,

“Someone who is ethical, wise, evolved,

Samāhito jhānarato satīmā;

becomes serene, loving absorption, mindful,

Sabbassa sokā vigatā pahīnā,

who’s gotten rid of and given up all sorrows,

Khīṇāsavo antimadehadhārī.

with defilements ended, they bear their final body.

Tathāvidhaṁ sīlavantaṁ vadanti,

That sort they call ethical.

Tathāvidhaṁ paññavantaṁ vadanti;

That sort they call wise.

Tathāvidho dukkhamaticca iriyati,

That sort lives on after transcending suffering.

Tathāvidhaṁ devatā pūjayantī”ti.

That sort is worshiped by the deities.”

Topics & Qualities:

Ethical conduct

Ethical conduct

A disciplined way of living grounded in harmlessness and integrity. Ethical conduct restrains the body and speech from harm, purifies behavior, and forms the foundation for collectedness and wisdom.

Also known as: moral integrity, right action, virtue
Pāli: sīla, sammākammanta
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Jhana

Jhana

An abiding with a steady, collected awareness that is attained through seclusion from the five hindrances and unwholesome mental states. When supported by right view, a jhāna can be a basis for the wearing away of taints and directing the mind toward the vision of Nibbāna.

Also known as: meditation, undistracted awareness, absorption, mental absorption
Pāli: jhāna, samāhita, susamāhita, sammāsamādhi
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Mindfulness

Mindfulness

Active presence of mind and lucid retention; the faculty that remembers the Dhamma, anchors attention to the chosen object or present experience, and guards the mind against unwholesome states.

Also known as: recollecting, remembering, keeping in mind, presence, awareness
Pāli: sati, anussati
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Suffering

Suffering

Unpleasantness, discontentment, dissatisfaction, stress, pain, disease, i.e. mild or intense suffering that is inherent in conditioned existence.

Also known as: discomfort, unpleasantness, discontentedness, dissatisfaction, stress, pain, disease, distress, affliction
Pāli: dukkha
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Vision

Vision

The corrective clarity that clearly sees into the true nature of things as they actually are.

Also known as: knowledge and vision, seeing clearly, seeing things as they are, seeing the truth, seeing the dhamma
Pāli: dassana, ñāṇadassana, yathābhūtañāṇadassana
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Wisdom

Wisdom

Lived understanding and sound judgment that steers the mind away from suffering, distinct from mere accumulation of facts.

Also known as: (of a person) wise, astute, intelligent, learned, skilled, firm, stable, steadfast, an experiential understanding of the four noble truths
Pāli: paññā, medhā, dhīra, paṇḍita, asammūḷha
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Last updated on July 27, 2026