Atha kho assāroho gāmaṇi yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho assāroho gāmaṇi bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:
Then the |headman::head of the village, chieftain [gāmaṇi]| |Assāroha::name which means a soldier who fights on horseback, a cavalryman [assāroho]| approached the Blessed One. Having drawn near, he paid homage to to the Blessed One and sat down to one side. Seated to one side, the headman Assāroha said to the Blessed One:
“sutaṁ metaṁ, bhante, pubbakānaṁ ācariyapācariyānaṁ assārohānaṁ bhāsamānānaṁ: ‘yo so assāroho saṅgāme ussahati vāyamati, tamenaṁ ussahantaṁ vāyamantaṁ pare hananti pariyāpādenti, so kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā parajitānaṁ devānaṁ sahabyataṁ upapajjatī’ti. Idha bhagavā kimāhā”ti?
“Venerable sir, I have heard it said, from the ancient teachers as well as the current and former teachers among cavalrymen: ‘When a cavalryman is one who strives and exerts himself in battle, if others slay him and finish him off while he is striving and exerting himself in battle, then with the breakup of the body, after death, he is reborn in the company of the battle-slain deities.’ What does the Blessed One say about this?”
“Alaṁ, gāmaṇi, tiṭṭhatetaṁ; mā maṁ etaṁ pucchī”ti.
“That’s enough, headman, let that be; do not ask me about that.”
Dutiyampi kho …pe…
For a second time, the headman Assāroha said to the Blessed One: “Venerable sir, I have heard it said, from the ancient teachers as well as the current and former teachers among cavalrymen: ‘When a cavalryman is one who strives and exerts himself in battle, if others slay him and finish him off while he is still striving and exerting himself in battle, then with the breakup of the body, after death, he is reborn in the company of the battle-slain deities.’ What does the Blessed One say about this?” “That’s enough, headman, let that be; do not ask me about that.”
tatiyampi kho assāroho gāmaṇi bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:
And for a third time, the headman Assāroha said to the Blessed One:
“sutaṁ metaṁ, bhante, pubbakānaṁ ācariyapācariyānaṁ assārohānaṁ bhāsamānānaṁ: ‘yo so assāroho saṅgāme ussahati vāyamati, tamenaṁ ussahantaṁ vāyamantaṁ pare hananti pariyāpādenti, so kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā parajitānaṁ devānaṁ sahabyataṁ upapajjatī’ti. Idha bhagavā kimāhā”ti?
“Venerable sir, I have heard it said, from the ancient teachers as well as the current and former teachers among cavalrymen: ‘When a cavalryman is one who strives and exerts himself in battle, if others slay him and finish him off while he is still striving and exerting himself in battle, then with the breakup of the body, after death, he is reborn in the company of the battle-slain deities.’ What does the Blessed One say about this?”
“Addhā kho tyāhaṁ, gāmaṇi, na labhāmi: ‘alaṁ, gāmaṇi, tiṭṭhatetaṁ; mā maṁ etaṁ pucchī’ti. Api ca kho tyāhaṁ byākarissāmi.
“Surely, headman, I am not getting through to you when I say, ‘That’s enough, headman, let that be; do not ask me about this.’ But still, I will explain it to you.
Yo so, gāmaṇi, assāroho saṅgāme ussahati vāyamati tassa taṁ cittaṁ pubbe gahitaṁ dukkaṭaṁ duppaṇihitaṁ: ‘ime sattā haññantu vā bajjhantu vā ucchijjantu vā vinassantu vā mā ahesuṁ iti vā’ti. Tamenaṁ ussahantaṁ vāyamantaṁ pare hananti pariyāpādenti, so kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā parajito nāma nirayo tattha upapajjati.
When a cavalryman, headman, is one who strives and exerts himself in battle, his mind is already seized by wrongdoing and wrongly directed by the thought: ‘Let these beings be slain, caught, destroyed, or perish.’ If others then slay him and finish him off while he is still striving and exerting himself in battle, then with the breakup of the body, after death, he is reborn in the battle-slain hell.
Sace kho panassa evaṁ diṭṭhi hoti: ‘yo so assāroho saṅgāme ussahati vāyamati, tamenaṁ ussahantaṁ vāyamantaṁ pare hananti pariyāpādenti, so kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā parajitānaṁ devānaṁ sahabyataṁ upapajjatī’ti, sāssa hoti micchādiṭṭhi. Micchādiṭṭhikassa kho panāhaṁ, gāmaṇi, purisapuggalassa dvinnaṁ gatīnaṁ aññataraṁ gatiṁ vadāmi—nirayaṁ vā tiracchānayoniṁ vā”ti.
If, headman, he holds this view: ‘When a cavalryman is one who strives and exerts himself in battle, if others slay him and finish him off while he is striving and exerting himself in battle, then with the breakup of the body, after death, he is reborn in the company of the battle-slain deities,’ then that is a |wrong view::a distorted perception, an untrue view, a false belief [micchādiṭṭhi]| on his part. For a person with wrong view, I say, there is one of two destinations: either hell or the animal realm.”
Evaṁ vutte, assāroho gāmaṇi parodi, assūni pavattesi.
When this was said, the headman Assāroha cried out and burst into tears.
“Etaṁ kho tyāhaṁ, gāmaṇi, nālatthaṁ: ‘alaṁ, gāmaṇi, tiṭṭhatetaṁ; mā maṁ etaṁ pucchī’”ti.
“So I did not get through to you when I said, ‘That’s enough, headman, let that be; do not ask me about this.’”
“Nāhaṁ, bhante, etaṁ rodāmi yaṁ maṁ bhagavā evamāha. Api cāhaṁ, bhante, pubbakehi ācariyapācariyehi assārohehi dīgharattaṁ nikato vañcito paluddho: ‘yo so assāroho saṅgāme ussahati vāyamati, tamenaṁ ussahantaṁ vāyamantaṁ pare hananti pariyāpādenti, so kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā parajitānaṁ devānaṁ sahabyataṁ upapajjatī’”ti.
“I am not crying, venerable sir, because of what the Blessed One said to me, but because I have been deceived, tricked, and misled by the ancient teachers as well as the current and former teachers among cavalrymen, who have said: ‘When a cavalryman is one who strives and exerts himself in battle, if others slay him and finish him off while he is striving and exerting himself in battle, then with the breakup of the body, after death, he is reborn in the company of the battle-slain deities.’”
“Abhikkantaṁ, bhante …pe… ajjatagge pāṇupetaṁ saraṇaṁ gatan”ti.
“Excellent, venerable sir! Excellent, venerable sir! Just as if one were to set upright what had been overturned, |reveal::uncover [vivarati]| what had been concealed, point out the way to one who was lost, or hold up a lamp in the dark so that those with eyes could see forms — even so, venerable sir, the |Dhamma::teachings of the Buddha that point to the nature of reality, the ultimate truth [dhamma]| has been |explained::illustrated [pakāsita]| by the Blessed One in many ways. I go for refuge to the Blessed One, to the Dhamma, and to the |Saṅgha::The community of monks and nuns practicing in line with the Buddha’s teachings. In the broader sense, this is the community of disciples who have realized the noble path and fruition through the Buddha’s teachings [saṅgha]| of bhikkhus. May the Blessed One remember me as a lay follower who, from this day forward, has gone to refuge for life.”
Then the |headman::head of the village, chieftain [gāmaṇi]| |Assāroha::name which means a soldier who fights on horseback, a cavalryman [assāroho]| approached the Blessed One. Having drawn near, he paid homage to to the Blessed One and sat down to one side. Seated to one side, the headman Assāroha said to the Blessed One:
“Venerable sir, I have heard it said, from the ancient teachers as well as the current and former teachers among cavalrymen: ‘When a cavalryman is one who strives and exerts himself in battle, if others slay him and finish him off while he is striving and exerting himself in battle, then with the breakup of the body, after death, he is reborn in the company of the battle-slain deities.’ What does the Blessed One say about this?”
“That’s enough, headman, let that be; do not ask me about that.”
For a second time, the headman Assāroha said to the Blessed One: “Venerable sir, I have heard it said, from the ancient teachers as well as the current and former teachers among cavalrymen: ‘When a cavalryman is one who strives and exerts himself in battle, if others slay him and finish him off while he is still striving and exerting himself in battle, then with the breakup of the body, after death, he is reborn in the company of the battle-slain deities.’ What does the Blessed One say about this?” “That’s enough, headman, let that be; do not ask me about that.”
And for a third time, the headman Assāroha said to the Blessed One:
“Venerable sir, I have heard it said, from the ancient teachers as well as the current and former teachers among cavalrymen: ‘When a cavalryman is one who strives and exerts himself in battle, if others slay him and finish him off while he is still striving and exerting himself in battle, then with the breakup of the body, after death, he is reborn in the company of the battle-slain deities.’ What does the Blessed One say about this?”
“Surely, headman, I am not getting through to you when I say, ‘That’s enough, headman, let that be; do not ask me about this.’ But still, I will explain it to you.
When a cavalryman, headman, is one who strives and exerts himself in battle, his mind is already seized by wrongdoing and wrongly directed by the thought: ‘Let these beings be slain, caught, destroyed, or perish.’ If others then slay him and finish him off while he is still striving and exerting himself in battle, then with the breakup of the body, after death, he is reborn in the battle-slain hell.
If, headman, he holds this view: ‘When a cavalryman is one who strives and exerts himself in battle, if others slay him and finish him off while he is striving and exerting himself in battle, then with the breakup of the body, after death, he is reborn in the company of the battle-slain deities,’ then that is a |wrong view::a distorted perception, an untrue view, a false belief [micchādiṭṭhi]| on his part. For a person with wrong view, I say, there is one of two destinations: either hell or the animal realm.”
When this was said, the headman Assāroha cried out and burst into tears.
“So I did not get through to you when I said, ‘That’s enough, headman, let that be; do not ask me about this.’”
“I am not crying, venerable sir, because of what the Blessed One said to me, but because I have been deceived, tricked, and misled by the ancient teachers as well as the current and former teachers among cavalrymen, who have said: ‘When a cavalryman is one who strives and exerts himself in battle, if others slay him and finish him off while he is striving and exerting himself in battle, then with the breakup of the body, after death, he is reborn in the company of the battle-slain deities.’”
“Excellent, venerable sir! Excellent, venerable sir! Just as if one were to set upright what had been overturned, |reveal::uncover [vivarati]| what had been concealed, point out the way to one who was lost, or hold up a lamp in the dark so that those with eyes could see forms — even so, venerable sir, the |Dhamma::teachings of the Buddha that point to the nature of reality, the ultimate truth [dhamma]| has been |explained::illustrated [pakāsita]| by the Blessed One in many ways. I go for refuge to the Blessed One, to the Dhamma, and to the |Saṅgha::The community of monks and nuns practicing in line with the Buddha’s teachings. In the broader sense, this is the community of disciples who have realized the noble path and fruition through the Buddha’s teachings [saṅgha]| of bhikkhus. May the Blessed One remember me as a lay follower who, from this day forward, has gone to refuge for life.”
Atha kho assāroho gāmaṇi yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho assāroho gāmaṇi bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:
“sutaṁ metaṁ, bhante, pubbakānaṁ ācariyapācariyānaṁ assārohānaṁ bhāsamānānaṁ: ‘yo so assāroho saṅgāme ussahati vāyamati, tamenaṁ ussahantaṁ vāyamantaṁ pare hananti pariyāpādenti, so kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā parajitānaṁ devānaṁ sahabyataṁ upapajjatī’ti. Idha bhagavā kimāhā”ti?
“Alaṁ, gāmaṇi, tiṭṭhatetaṁ; mā maṁ etaṁ pucchī”ti.
Dutiyampi kho …pe…
tatiyampi kho assāroho gāmaṇi bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:
“sutaṁ metaṁ, bhante, pubbakānaṁ ācariyapācariyānaṁ assārohānaṁ bhāsamānānaṁ: ‘yo so assāroho saṅgāme ussahati vāyamati, tamenaṁ ussahantaṁ vāyamantaṁ pare hananti pariyāpādenti, so kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā parajitānaṁ devānaṁ sahabyataṁ upapajjatī’ti. Idha bhagavā kimāhā”ti?
“Addhā kho tyāhaṁ, gāmaṇi, na labhāmi: ‘alaṁ, gāmaṇi, tiṭṭhatetaṁ; mā maṁ etaṁ pucchī’ti. Api ca kho tyāhaṁ byākarissāmi.
Yo so, gāmaṇi, assāroho saṅgāme ussahati vāyamati tassa taṁ cittaṁ pubbe gahitaṁ dukkaṭaṁ duppaṇihitaṁ: ‘ime sattā haññantu vā bajjhantu vā ucchijjantu vā vinassantu vā mā ahesuṁ iti vā’ti. Tamenaṁ ussahantaṁ vāyamantaṁ pare hananti pariyāpādenti, so kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā parajito nāma nirayo tattha upapajjati.
Sace kho panassa evaṁ diṭṭhi hoti: ‘yo so assāroho saṅgāme ussahati vāyamati, tamenaṁ ussahantaṁ vāyamantaṁ pare hananti pariyāpādenti, so kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā parajitānaṁ devānaṁ sahabyataṁ upapajjatī’ti, sāssa hoti micchādiṭṭhi. Micchādiṭṭhikassa kho panāhaṁ, gāmaṇi, purisapuggalassa dvinnaṁ gatīnaṁ aññataraṁ gatiṁ vadāmi—nirayaṁ vā tiracchānayoniṁ vā”ti.
Evaṁ vutte, assāroho gāmaṇi parodi, assūni pavattesi.
“Etaṁ kho tyāhaṁ, gāmaṇi, nālatthaṁ: ‘alaṁ, gāmaṇi, tiṭṭhatetaṁ; mā maṁ etaṁ pucchī’”ti.
“Nāhaṁ, bhante, etaṁ rodāmi yaṁ maṁ bhagavā evamāha. Api cāhaṁ, bhante, pubbakehi ācariyapācariyehi assārohehi dīgharattaṁ nikato vañcito paluddho: ‘yo so assāroho saṅgāme ussahati vāyamati, tamenaṁ ussahantaṁ vāyamantaṁ pare hananti pariyāpādenti, so kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā parajitānaṁ devānaṁ sahabyataṁ upapajjatī’”ti.
“Abhikkantaṁ, bhante …pe… ajjatagge pāṇupetaṁ saraṇaṁ gatan”ti.