Recovering from grave illness, Mahākassapa rejects five hundred deities exerting themselves for his alms. Instead, he wanders the streets of the poor and destitute.
Evaṁ me sutaṁ— ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā rājagahe viharati veḷuvane kalandakanivāpe. Tena kho pana samayena āyasmā mahākassapo pippaliguhāyaṁ viharati ābādhiko dukkhito bāḷhagilāno. Atha kho āyasmā mahākassapo aparena samayena tamhā ābādhā vuṭṭhāsi. Atha kho āyasmato mahākassapassa tamhā ābādhā vuṭṭhitassa etadahosi: “yannūnāhaṁ rājagahaṁ piṇḍāya paviseyyan”ti.
Thus have I heard—At one time, the Blessed One was dwelling at |Rājagaha::name of a city; capital of Magadha; lit. king’s house [rājagaha]|, in the Bamboo grove, the Squirrels’ feeding ground. Now at that time, the venerable |Mahākassapa::foremost disciple of the Buddha in preaching ascetic practices; lit. Kassapa the great [mahākassapa]| was dwelling in the |Pippali Cave::name of a cave in Rājagaha [pippaliguhā]|—sick, experiencing pain, and gravely ill. Then, on a later occasion, the venerable Mahākassapa recovered from that illness. Upon recovering from that illness, this thought occurred to him: “Perhaps I should enter Rājagaha for alms.”
Tena kho pana samayena pañcamattāni devatāsatāni ussukkaṁ āpannāni honti āyasmato mahākassapassa piṇḍapātapaṭilābhāya. Atha kho āyasmā mahākassapo tāni pañcamattāni devatāsatāni paṭikkhipitvā pubbaṇhasamayaṁ nivāsetvā pattacīvaramādāya rājagahaṁ piṇḍāya pāvisi— yena daliddavisikhā kapaṇavisikhā pesakāravisikhā. Addasā kho bhagavā āyasmantaṁ mahākassapaṁ rājagahe piṇḍāya carantaṁ yena daliddavisikhā kapaṇavisikhā pesakāravisikhā.
Now at that time, some five hundred deities were exerting themselves for the venerable Mahākassapa’s obtaining of almsfood. But the venerable Mahākassapa, having rejected those five hundred deities, dressed early in the morning, taking his alms bowl and outer robe, entered Rājagaha for alms; specifically to the streets of the poor, the destitute, and the weavers. The Blessed One saw the venerable Mahākassapa wandering for alms in Rājagaha, in the streets of the poor, the destitute, and the weavers.
Atha kho bhagavā etamatthaṁ viditvā tāyaṁ velāyaṁ imaṁ udānaṁ udānesi:
Then, understanding the significance of this, the Blessed One at that time expressed this inspired utterance:
“Anaññaposimaññātaṁ,
dantaṁ sāre patiṭṭhitaṁ;
Khīṇāsavaṁ vantadosaṁ,
tamahaṁ brūmi brāhmaṇan”ti.
“|Who supports no other::not nurturing another, not supporting another state of existence [anaññaposi]|, who is |not known::not recognized [aññātaṁ]|,
|tamed::trained, mastered [danta]| and |well established::firmly grounded [patiṭṭhita]| in the |essence::core, the heartwood [sāra]|;
|Whose mental defilements have ended::who is awakened through the complete exhaustion of the mental effluents, taints [khīṇāsava]| and |faults cast out::purged of defect; lit. vomited corruption [vantadosa]|—
Him, I call a true sage.”
Thus have I heard—At one time, the Blessed One was dwelling at |Rājagaha::name of a city; capital of Magadha; lit. king’s house [rājagaha]|, in the Bamboo grove, the Squirrels’ feeding ground. Now at that time, the venerable |Mahākassapa::foremost disciple of the Buddha in preaching ascetic practices; lit. Kassapa the great [mahākassapa]| was dwelling in the |Pippali Cave::name of a cave in Rājagaha [pippaliguhā]|—sick, experiencing pain, and gravely ill. Then, on a later occasion, the venerable Mahākassapa recovered from that illness. Upon recovering from that illness, this thought occurred to him: “Perhaps I should enter Rājagaha for alms.”
Now at that time, some five hundred deities were exerting themselves for the venerable Mahākassapa’s obtaining of almsfood. But the venerable Mahākassapa, having rejected those five hundred deities, dressed early in the morning, taking his alms bowl and outer robe, entered Rājagaha for alms; specifically to the streets of the poor, the destitute, and the weavers. The Blessed One saw the venerable Mahākassapa wandering for alms in Rājagaha, in the streets of the poor, the destitute, and the weavers.
Then, understanding the significance of this, the Blessed One at that time expressed this inspired utterance:
“|Who supports no other::not nurturing another, not supporting another state of existence [anaññaposi]|, who is |not known::not recognized [aññātaṁ]|,
|tamed::trained, mastered [danta]| and |well established::firmly grounded [patiṭṭhita]| in the |essence::core, the heartwood [sāra]|;
|Whose mental defilements have ended::who is awakened through the complete exhaustion of the mental effluents, taints [khīṇāsava]| and |faults cast out::purged of defect; lit. vomited corruption [vantadosa]|—
Him, I call a true sage.”
Evaṁ me sutaṁ— ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā rājagahe viharati veḷuvane kalandakanivāpe. Tena kho pana samayena āyasmā mahākassapo pippaliguhāyaṁ viharati ābādhiko dukkhito bāḷhagilāno. Atha kho āyasmā mahākassapo aparena samayena tamhā ābādhā vuṭṭhāsi. Atha kho āyasmato mahākassapassa tamhā ābādhā vuṭṭhitassa etadahosi: “yannūnāhaṁ rājagahaṁ piṇḍāya paviseyyan”ti.
Tena kho pana samayena pañcamattāni devatāsatāni ussukkaṁ āpannāni honti āyasmato mahākassapassa piṇḍapātapaṭilābhāya. Atha kho āyasmā mahākassapo tāni pañcamattāni devatāsatāni paṭikkhipitvā pubbaṇhasamayaṁ nivāsetvā pattacīvaramādāya rājagahaṁ piṇḍāya pāvisi— yena daliddavisikhā kapaṇavisikhā pesakāravisikhā. Addasā kho bhagavā āyasmantaṁ mahākassapaṁ rājagahe piṇḍāya carantaṁ yena daliddavisikhā kapaṇavisikhā pesakāravisikhā.
Atha kho bhagavā etamatthaṁ viditvā tāyaṁ velāyaṁ imaṁ udānaṁ udānesi:
“Anaññaposimaññātaṁ,
dantaṁ sāre patiṭṭhitaṁ;
Khīṇāsavaṁ vantadosaṁ,
tamahaṁ brūmi brāhmaṇan”ti.