SNP 2.12 Vaṅgīsa and His Mentor Nigrodhakappa

Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).

So I have heard.

At one time the Buddha was staying near Āḷavī, at Āḷavī’s premier shrine.

Now at that time it was not long after Venerable Vaṅgīsa’s mentor, the senior monk named Nigrodhakappa, had become fully quenched.

Then as Vaṅgīsa was in private retreat this thought came to his mind:

“Has my mentor become quenched or not?”

Then in the late afternoon, Venerable Vaṅgīsa came out of retreat and went to the Buddha. He bowed, sat down to one side, and said to him:

“Just now, sir, as I was in private retreat this thought came to mind.

‘Has my mentor become quenched or not?’”

Then Venerable Vaṅgīsa rose from his seat, arranged his robe over one shoulder, raised his cupped palms toward the Buddha, and addressed him in verse:

“I ask the teacher unrivaled in wisdom,

who has cut off all doubts in this very life:

a monk has died at Āḷavī’s premier shrine,

who was well-known, famous, and quenched.

Nigrodhakappa was his name;

it was given to that brahmin by you, Blessed One.

He wandered in your honor, yearning for freedom,

energetic, a resolute Seer of Truth.

O Sakyan, All-seer,

we all wish to know about that disciple.

Our ears are eager to hear,

for you are the most excellent teacher.

Cut off our doubt, declare this to us;

your wisdom is vast, tell us of his quenching!

All-seer, speak among us,

like the thousand-eyed Sakka in the midst of the gods!

Whatever ties there are, or paths to delusion,

or things on the side of unknowing, or that are bases of doubt

vanish on reaching a Realized One,

for his eye is the best of all people’s.

If no man were ever to disperse corruptions,

like the wind dispersing the stormclouds,

darkness would shroud the whole world;

not even brilliant men would shine.

The attentive are bringers of light;

my hero, that is what I think of you.

We’ve come for your discernment and knowledge:

here in this assembly, declare to us about Kappāyana.

Swiftly send forth your sweet, sweet voice,

like a goose stretching its neck, gently honking,

lucid-flowing, with lovely tone:

alert, we all listen to you.

You have entirely abandoned birth and death;

restrained and pure, I urge you to speak the Dhamma!

For while ordinary people have no wish-granter,

Realized Ones have a comprehensibility-granter.

Your answer is definitive, and we will adopt it,

for you have perfect understanding.

We raise our cupped palms one last time,

one of unrivaled wisdom, don’t deliberately confuse us.

Knowing the noble teaching from top to bottom,

unrivaled hero, don’t deliberately confuse us.

As a man baking in the summer sun would long for water,

I long for your voice, so let the sound rain forth.

Surely Kappāyana did not lead the spiritual life in vain?

Did he realize quenching,

or did he still have a residue?

Let us hear what kind of liberation he had!”

“He cut off craving for name and form right here,”

said the Buddha,

“the river of darkness that had long lain within him.

He has entirely crossed over birth and death.”

So declared the Blessed One, the leader of the five.

“Now that I have heard your words,

seventh of seers, I am confident.

My question, it seems, was not in vain,

the brahmin did not deceive me.

As he said, so he did—

he was a disciple of the Buddha.

He cut the net of death the deceiver,

so extended and strong.

Blessed One, Kappāyana saw

the starting point of grasping.

He has indeed gone far beyond

Death’s dominion so hard to pass.”

​

Evaṁ me sutaṁ—

ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā āḷaviyaṁ viharati aggāḷave cetiye.

Tena kho pana samayena āyasmato vaṅgīsassa upajjhāyo nigrodhakappo nāma thero aggāḷave cetiye aciraparinibbuto hoti.

Atha kho āyasmato vaṅgīsassa rahogatassa paṭisallīnassa evaṁ cetaso parivitakko udapādi—

parinibbuto nu kho me upajjhāyo udāhu no parinibbutoti?

Atha kho āyasmā vaṅgīso sāyanhasamayaṁ paṭisallānā vuṭṭhito yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā vaṅgīso bhagavantaṁ etadavoca—

idha mayhaṁ, bhante, rahogatassa paṭisallīnassa evaṁ cetaso parivitakko udapādi—

parinibbuto nu kho me upajjhāyo, udāhu no parinibbutoti.

Atha kho āyasmā vaṅgīso uṭṭhāyāsanā ekaṁsaṁ cīvaraṁ katvā yena bhagavā tenañjaliṁ paṇāmetvā bhagavantaṁ gāthāya ajjhabhāsi:

“Pucchāmi satthāramanomapaññaṁ,

Diṭṭheva dhamme yo vicikicchānaṁ chettā;

Aggāḷave kālamakāsi bhikkhu,

Ñāto yasassī abhinibbutatto.

Nigrodhakappo iti tassa nāmaṁ,

Tayā kataṁ bhagavā brāhmaṇassa;

So taṁ namassaṁ acari mutyapekkho,

Āraddhaviriyo daḷhadhammadassī.

Taṁ sāvakaṁ sakya mayampi sabbe,

Aññātumicchāma samantacakkhu;

Samavaṭṭhitā no savanāya sotā,

Tuvaṁ no satthā tvamanuttarosi.

Chindeva no vicikicchaṁ brūhi metaṁ,

Parinibbutaṁ vedaya bhūripañña;

Majjheva no bhāsa samantacakkhu,

Sakkova devāna sahassanetto.

Ye keci ganthā idha mohamaggā,

Aññāṇapakkhā vicikicchaṭhānā;

Tathāgataṁ patvā na te bhavanti,

Cakkhuñhi etaṁ paramaṁ narānaṁ.

No ce hi jātu puriso kilese,

Vāto yathā abbhaghanaṁ vihāne;

Tamovassa nivuto sabbaloko,

Na jotimantopi narā tapeyyuṁ.

Dhīrā ca pajjotakarā bhavanti,

Taṁ taṁ ahaṁ vīra tatheva maññe;

Vipassinaṁ jānamupāgamumhā,

Parisāsu no āvikarohi kappaṁ.

Khippaṁ giraṁ eraya vaggu vagguṁ,

Haṁsova paggayha saṇikaṁ nikūja;

Bindussarena suvikappitena,

Sabbeva te ujjugatā suṇoma.

Pahīnajātimaraṇaṁ asesaṁ,

Niggayha dhonaṁ vadessāmi dhammaṁ;

Na kāmakāro hi puthujjanānaṁ,

Saṅkheyyakāro ca tathāgatānaṁ.

Sampannaveyyākaraṇaṁ tavedaṁ,

Samujjupaññassa samuggahītaṁ;

Ayamañjalī pacchimo suppaṇāmito,

Mā mohayī jānamanomapañña.

Parovaraṁ ariyadhammaṁ viditvā,

Mā mohayī jānamanomavīra;

Vāriṁ yathā ghammani ghammatatto,

Vācābhikaṅkhāmi sutaṁ pavassa.

Yadatthikaṁ brahmacariyaṁ acarī,

Kappāyano kaccissa taṁ amoghaṁ;

Nibbāyi so ādu saupādiseso,

Yathā vimutto ahu taṁ suṇoma”.

“Acchecchi taṇhaṁ idha nāmarūpe,

(iti bhagavā)

Kaṇhassa sotaṁ dīgharattānusayitaṁ;

Atāri jātiṁ maraṇaṁ asesaṁ”,

Iccabravī bhagavā pañcaseṭṭho.

“Esa sutvā pasīdāmi,

Vaco te isisattama;

Amoghaṁ kira me puṭṭhaṁ,

Na maṁ vañcesi brāhmaṇo.

Yathāvādī tathākārī,

Ahu buddhassa sāvako;

Acchidā maccuno jālaṁ,

Tataṁ māyāvino daḷhaṁ.

Addasā bhagavā ādiṁ,

Upādānassa kappiyo;

Accagā vata kappāyano,

Maccudheyyaṁ suduttaran”ti.

Nigrodhakappasuttaṁ dvādasamaṁ.