When Venerable Ānanda remarks on the Buddha’s aging body, the Buddha reminds him of the inevitability of aging and death.
Evaṁ me sutaṁ— ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati pubbārāme migāramātupāsāde. Tena kho pana samayena bhagavā sāyanhasamayaṁ paṭisallānā vuṭṭhito pacchātape nisinno hoti piṭṭhiṁ otāpayamāno.
Thus have I heard—At one time, the Blessed One was dwelling at Sāvatthi, in the Eastern Park, at Migāramātā’s mansion. Now, at that time, the Blessed One, having emerged from |seclusion::solitude, privacy [paṭisallāna]| in the late afternoon, was sitting in the glow of the setting sun, warming his back.
Atha kho āyasmā ānando yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā bhagavato gattāni pāṇinā anomajjanto bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:
Then the venerable Ānanda approached the Blessed One. Having drawn near, he paid homage to the Blessed One, and while massaging the Blessed One’s limbs with his hands, he said this:
“acchariyaṁ, bhante, abbhutaṁ, bhante. Na cevaṁ dāni, bhante, bhagavato tāva parisuddho chavivaṇṇo pariyodāto, sithilāni ca gattāni sabbāni valiyajātāni, purato pabbhāro ca kāyo, dissati ca indriyānaṁ aññathattaṁ— cakkhundriyassa sotindriyassa ghānindriyassa jivhindriyassa kāyindriyassā”ti.
“It is wonderful, venerable sir! It is marvelous, venerable sir! No longer is the Blessed One’s complexion pure and bright; his limbs are flaccid and wrinkled, his body is stooped, and an alteration is evident in his faculties—in the eye faculty, the ear faculty, the nose faculty, the tongue faculty, the body faculty.”
“Evañhetaṁ, ānanda, hoti— jarādhammo yobbaññe, byādhidhammo ārogye, maraṇadhammo jīvite. Na ceva tāva parisuddho hoti chavivaṇṇo pariyodāto, sithilāni ca honti gattāni sabbāni valiyajātāni, purato pabbhāro ca kāyo, dissati ca indriyānaṁ aññathattaṁ— cakkhundriyassa sotindriyassa ghānindriyassa jivhindriyassa kāyindriyassā”ti.
“So it is, Ānanda! In youth, one is subject to aging; in health, one is subject to illness; while alive, one is subject to death. No longer is the complexion pure and bright; the limbs are flaccid and wrinkled, the body is stooped, and an alteration is evident in the faculties—the eye faculty, ear faculty, nose faculty, tongue faculty, and body faculty.”
Idamavoca bhagavā. Idaṁ vatvā ca sugato athāparaṁ etadavoca satthā:
The Blessed One said this. Having spoken thus, the Accomplished One further said this:
“Dhī taṁ jammi jare atthu,
dubbaṇṇakaraṇī jare;
Tāva manoramaṁ bimbaṁ,
jarāya abhimadditaṁ.
“Damn you! Wretched aging,
aging which makes beauty fade;
This |image::form, puppet, body [bimba]|, so |delightful::pleasant; lit. pleasing to mind [manorama]|,
is now crushed by old age.
Yopi vassasataṁ jīve,
sopi maccuparāyaṇo;
Na kiñci parivajjeti,
sabbamevābhimaddatī”ti.
Even if one lives a hundred years,
one is still destined for death;
Death spares none along the way,
but comes crushing everything.”
Thus have I heard—At one time, the Blessed One was dwelling at Sāvatthi, in the Eastern Park, at Migāramātā’s mansion. Now, at that time, the Blessed One, having emerged from |seclusion::solitude, privacy [paṭisallāna]| in the late afternoon, was sitting in the glow of the setting sun, warming his back.
Then the venerable Ānanda approached the Blessed One. Having drawn near, he paid homage to the Blessed One, and while massaging the Blessed One’s limbs with his hands, he said this:
“It is wonderful, venerable sir! It is marvelous, venerable sir! No longer is the Blessed One’s complexion pure and bright; his limbs are flaccid and wrinkled, his body is stooped, and an alteration is evident in his faculties—in the eye faculty, the ear faculty, the nose faculty, the tongue faculty, the body faculty.”
“So it is, Ānanda! In youth, one is subject to aging; in health, one is subject to illness; while alive, one is subject to death. No longer is the complexion pure and bright; the limbs are flaccid and wrinkled, the body is stooped, and an alteration is evident in the faculties—the eye faculty, ear faculty, nose faculty, tongue faculty, and body faculty.”
The Blessed One said this. Having spoken thus, the Accomplished One further said this:
“Damn you! Wretched aging,
aging which makes beauty fade;
This |image::form, puppet, body [bimba]|, so |delightful::pleasant; lit. pleasing to mind [manorama]|,
is now crushed by old age.
Even if one lives a hundred years,
one is still destined for death;
Death spares none along the way,
but comes crushing everything.”
Evaṁ me sutaṁ— ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati pubbārāme migāramātupāsāde. Tena kho pana samayena bhagavā sāyanhasamayaṁ paṭisallānā vuṭṭhito pacchātape nisinno hoti piṭṭhiṁ otāpayamāno.
Atha kho āyasmā ānando yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā bhagavato gattāni pāṇinā anomajjanto bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:
“acchariyaṁ, bhante, abbhutaṁ, bhante. Na cevaṁ dāni, bhante, bhagavato tāva parisuddho chavivaṇṇo pariyodāto, sithilāni ca gattāni sabbāni valiyajātāni, purato pabbhāro ca kāyo, dissati ca indriyānaṁ aññathattaṁ— cakkhundriyassa sotindriyassa ghānindriyassa jivhindriyassa kāyindriyassā”ti.
“Evañhetaṁ, ānanda, hoti— jarādhammo yobbaññe, byādhidhammo ārogye, maraṇadhammo jīvite. Na ceva tāva parisuddho hoti chavivaṇṇo pariyodāto, sithilāni ca honti gattāni sabbāni valiyajātāni, purato pabbhāro ca kāyo, dissati ca indriyānaṁ aññathattaṁ— cakkhundriyassa sotindriyassa ghānindriyassa jivhindriyassa kāyindriyassā”ti.
Idamavoca bhagavā. Idaṁ vatvā ca sugato athāparaṁ etadavoca satthā:
“Dhī taṁ jammi jare atthu,
dubbaṇṇakaraṇī jare;
Tāva manoramaṁ bimbaṁ,
jarāya abhimadditaṁ.
Yopi vassasataṁ jīve,
sopi maccuparāyaṇo;
Na kiñci parivajjeti,
sabbamevābhimaddatī”ti.