The Buddha teaches a repeated simile of great rivers slanting, sloping, and inclining to the ocean, showing how a mendicant who develops the noble eightfold path likewise inclines to extinguishment, applied across each river in this grouped discourse.

SN 45.134-138 Slanting to the Ocean

“Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, yamunā nadī samuddaninnā samuddapoṇā samuddapabbhārā; evameva kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu …pe…

seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, aciravatī nadī samuddaninnā samuddapoṇā samuddapabbhārā; evameva kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu …pe…

seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, sarabhū nadī samuddaninnā samuddapoṇā samuddapabbhārā; evameva kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu …pe…

seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, mahī nadī samuddaninnā samuddapoṇā samuddapabbhārā; evameva kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu …pe…

seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, kācimā mahānadiyo, seyyathidaṁ gaṅgā, yamunā, aciravatī, sarabhū, mahī, sabbā samuddaninnā samuddapoṇā samuddapabbhārā; evameva kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu ariyaṁ aṭṭhaṅgikaṁ maggaṁ bhāvento ariyaṁ aṭṭhaṅgikaṁ maggaṁ bahulīkaronto nibbānaninno hoti nibbānapoṇo nibbānapabbhāro.

Kathañca, bhikkhave, bhikkhu ariyaṁ aṭṭhaṅgikaṁ maggaṁ bhāvento ariyaṁ aṭṭhaṅgikaṁ maggaṁ bahulīkaronto nibbānaninno hoti nibbānapoṇo nibbānapabbhāro? Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sammādiṭṭhiṁ bhāveti nibbānaninnaṁ nibbānapoṇaṁ nibbānapabbhāraṁ …pe… sammāsamādhiṁ bhāveti nibbānaninnaṁ nibbānapoṇaṁ nibbānapabbhāraṁ. Evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu ariyaṁ aṭṭhaṅgikaṁ maggaṁ bhāvento ariyaṁ aṭṭhaṅgikaṁ maggaṁ bahulīkaronto nibbānaninno hoti nibbānapoṇo nibbānapabbhāro”ti.

Chaṭṭhaṁ.

(Gaṅgāpeyyālī.)

Tassuddānaṁ

Cha pācīnato ninnā,
cha ninnā ca samuddato;
Ete dve cha dvādasa honti,
vaggo tena pavuccatīti;
Nibbānaninno dvādasakī,
catutthakī chaṭṭhā navakī.

Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).

“Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, yamunā nadī samuddaninnā samuddapoṇā samuddapabbhārā;

“Mendicants, the Yamunā river slants, slopes, and inclines to the ocean. …”

evameva kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu …pe…

seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, aciravatī nadī samuddaninnā samuddapoṇā samuddapabbhārā;

“… the Aciravatī river …”

evameva kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu …pe…

seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, sarabhū nadī samuddaninnā samuddapoṇā samuddapabbhārā;

“… the Sarabhū river …”

evameva kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu …pe…

seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, mahī nadī samuddaninnā samuddapoṇā samuddapabbhārā;

“… the Mahī river …”

evameva kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu …pe…

seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, kācimā mahānadiyo, seyyathidaṁ

“… all the great rivers …”

gaṅgā, yamunā, aciravatī, sarabhū, mahī, sabbā samuddaninnā samuddapoṇā samuddapabbhārā;

evameva kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu ariyaṁ aṭṭhaṅgikaṁ maggaṁ bhāvento ariyaṁ aṭṭhaṅgikaṁ maggaṁ bahulīkaronto nibbānaninno hoti nibbānapoṇo nibbānapabbhāro.

Kathañca, bhikkhave, bhikkhu ariyaṁ aṭṭhaṅgikaṁ maggaṁ bhāvento ariyaṁ aṭṭhaṅgikaṁ maggaṁ bahulīkaronto nibbānaninno hoti nibbānapoṇo nibbānapabbhāro?

Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sammādiṭṭhiṁ bhāveti nibbānaninnaṁ nibbānapoṇaṁ nibbānapabbhāraṁ …pe… sammāsamādhiṁ bhāveti nibbānaninnaṁ nibbānapoṇaṁ nibbānapabbhāraṁ.

Evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu ariyaṁ aṭṭhaṅgikaṁ maggaṁ bhāvento ariyaṁ aṭṭhaṅgikaṁ maggaṁ bahulīkaronto nibbānaninno hoti nibbānapoṇo nibbānapabbhāro”ti.

Chaṭṭhaṁ.

(Gaṅgāpeyyālī.)

Tassuddānaṁ

Cha pācīnato ninnā,

cha ninnā ca samuddato;

Ete dve cha dvādasa honti,

vaggo tena pavuccatīti;

Nibbānaninno dvādasakī,

catutthakī chaṭṭhā navakī.

Qualities:

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