Vijayasutta

Sutta Nipāta 1.11

Anthology of Discourses 1.11

Vijayasutta

Victory Over Desire for the Body

Caraṁ vā yadi vā tiṭṭhaṁ,

Walking and standing,

nisinno uda vā sayaṁ;

sitting and lying down,

Samiñjeti pasāreti,

extending and contracting the limbs:

esā kāyassa iñjanā.

these are the movements of the body.

Aṭṭhinahārusaṁyutto,

Linked together by bones and sinews,

tacamaṁsāvalepano;

plastered over with flesh and hide,

Chaviyā kāyo paṭicchanno,

and covered by the skin,

yathābhūtaṁ na dissati.

the body is not seen as it is.

Antapūro udarapūro,

It’s full of guts and belly,

yakanapeḷassa vatthino;

liver and bladder,

Hadayassa papphāsassa,

heart and lungs,

vakkassa pihakassa ca.

kidney and spleen,

Siṅghāṇikāya kheḷassa,

spit and snot,

sedassa ca medassa ca;

sweat and fat,

Lohitassa lasikāya,

blood and synovial fluid,

pittassa ca vasāya ca.

bile and grease.

Athassa navahi sotehi,

Then in nine streams

asucī savati sabbadā;

the filth is always flowing.

Akkhimhā akkhigūthako,

There is muck from the eyes,

kaṇṇamhā kaṇṇagūthako.

wax from the ears,

Siṅghāṇikā ca nāsato,

and snot from the nostrils.

mukhena vamatekadā;

The mouth sometimes vomits

Pittaṁ semhañca vamati,

bile and sometimes phlegm.

kāyamhā sedajallikā.

And from the body, sweat and waste.

Athassa susiraṁ sīsaṁ,

Then there is the hollow head

matthaluṅgassa pūritaṁ;

all filled with brains.

Subhato naṁ maññati bālo,

Governed by ignorance,

avijjāya purakkhato.

the fool thinks it’s lovely.

Yadā ca so mato seti,

And when it lies dead,

Uddhumāto vinīlako;

bloated and livid,

Apaviddho susānasmiṁ,

dumped in a charnel ground,

Anapekkhā honti ñātayo.

the relatives forget it.

Khādanti naṁ suvānā ca,

It’s devoured by dogs,

siṅgālā ca vakā kimī;

by jackals, wolves, and worms.

Kākā gijjhā ca khādanti,

It’s devoured by crows and vultures,

ye caññe santi pāṇino.

and any other creatures there.

Sutvāna buddhavacanaṁ,

A wise mendicant here,

Bhikkhu paññāṇavā idha;

having heard the Buddha’s words,

So kho naṁ parijānāti,

fully understands it,

Yathābhūtañhi passati.

for they see it as it is.

Yathā idaṁ tathā etaṁ,

“As this is, so is that,

Yathā etaṁ tathā idaṁ;

as that is, so is this.”

Ajjhattañca bahiddhā ca,

They’d blanch desire for the body

Kāye chandaṁ virājaye.

inside and out.

Chandarāgaviratto so,

That wise mendicant here

Bhikkhu paññāṇavā idha;

rid of desire and lust,

Ajjhagā amataṁ santiṁ,

has found the peace free of death,

Nibbānaṁ padamaccutaṁ.

extinguishment, the state that does not pass.

Dvipādakoyaṁ asuci,

This two-legged body is dirty and stinking,

Duggandho parihīrati;

full of different carcasses,

Nānākuṇapaparipūro,

and oozing all over the place—

Vissavanto tato tato.

but still it is cherished!

Etādisena kāyena,

And if, on account of such a body,

Yo maññe uṇṇametave;

someone prides themselves

Paraṁ vā avajāneyya,

or looks down on others—

Kimaññatra adassanāti.

what is that but a failure to see?

Vijayasuttaṁ ekādasamaṁ.