A young deity recites a verse to the Buddha about the shortness of life and the importance of doing meritorious deeds.
Rājagahanidānaṁ. Ekamantaṁ ṭhito kho uttaro devaputto bhagavato santike imaṁ gāthaṁ abhāsi:
At Rājagaha. Standing to one side, the young deity Uttara recited this verse in the presence of the Blessed One:
“Upanīyati jīvitamappamāyu,
Jarūpanītassa na santi tāṇā;
Etaṁ bhayaṁ maraṇe pekkhamāno,
Puññāni kayirātha sukhāvahānī”ti.
“Life ebbs away, its span is short,
for one brought to old age, there are no shelters;
Clearly seeing this danger in death,
one should do meritorious deeds that bring happiness.”
“Upanīyati jīvitamappamāyu,
Jarūpanītassa na santi tāṇā;
Etaṁ bhayaṁ maraṇe pekkhamāno,
Lokāmisaṁ pajahe santipekkho”ti.
[The Blessed One]: “Life ebbs away, its span is short,
for one brought to old age, there are no shelters;
Clearly seeing this danger in death,
one should drop |the world’s bait::worldliness, material pleasure, worldly pleasure [lokāmisa]|, looking for peace.
At Rājagaha. Standing to one side, the young deity Uttara recited this verse in the presence of the Blessed One:
“Life ebbs away, its span is short,
for one brought to old age, there are no shelters;
Clearly seeing this danger in death,
one should do meritorious deeds that bring happiness.”
[The Blessed One]: “Life ebbs away, its span is short,
for one brought to old age, there are no shelters;
Clearly seeing this danger in death,
one should drop |the world’s bait::worldliness, material pleasure, worldly pleasure [lokāmisa]|, looking for peace.
Rājagahanidānaṁ. Ekamantaṁ ṭhito kho uttaro devaputto bhagavato santike imaṁ gāthaṁ abhāsi:
“Upanīyati jīvitamappamāyu,
Jarūpanītassa na santi tāṇā;
Etaṁ bhayaṁ maraṇe pekkhamāno,
Puññāni kayirātha sukhāvahānī”ti.
“Upanīyati jīvitamappamāyu,
Jarūpanītassa na santi tāṇā;
Etaṁ bhayaṁ maraṇe pekkhamāno,
Lokāmisaṁ pajahe santipekkho”ti.