Kassapagottasutta

Saṁyutta Nikāya 9.3

Linked Discourses 9.3

1. Vanavagga

1. In the Woods

Kassapagottasutta

With Kassapagotta

Ekaṁ samayaṁ āyasmā kassapagotto kosalesu viharati aññatarasmiṁ vanasaṇḍe.

At one time Venerable Kassapagotta was staying in the land of the Kosalans in a certain forest grove.

Tena kho pana samayena āyasmā kassapagotto divāvihāragato aññataraṁ chetaṁ ovadati.

Now at that time Venerable Kassapagotta, having withdrawn for his day’s meditation, tried to advise a nimrod.

Atha kho yā tasmiṁ vanasaṇḍe adhivatthā devatā āyasmantaṁ kassapagottaṁ saṁvejetukāmā yenāyasmā kassapagotto tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā āyasmantaṁ kassapagottaṁ gāthāhi ajjhabhāsi:

Then the deity haunting that forest approached Kassapagotta wanting to stir him up, and recited these verses:

“Giriduggacaraṁ chetaṁ,

“A nimrod wandering the rugged hills

appapaññaṁ acetasaṁ;

is unintelligent, unthinking.

Akāle ovadaṁ bhikkhu,

It’s a waste of time to advise him, mendicant;

mandova paṭibhāti maṁ.

he strikes me as a dullard.

Suṇāti na vijānāti,

He listens without understanding,

Āloketi na passati;

looks without seeing.

Dhammasmiṁ bhaññamānasmiṁ,

Though the teaching is spoken,

Atthaṁ bālo na bujjhati.

the fool doesn’t get it.

Sacepi dasa pajjote,

Even if you lit ten lamps

dhārayissasi kassapa;

and brought them to him, Kassapa,

Neva dakkhati rūpāni,

he wouldn’t see anything,

cakkhu hissa na vijjatī”ti.

for he has no eyes to see.”

Atha kho āyasmā kassapagotto tāya devatāya saṁvejito saṁvegamāpādīti.

Impelled by that deity, Venerable Kassapagotta was struck with a sense of urgency.