Telakānittheragāthā

Theragāthā 16.3

Verses of the Senior Monks 16.3

Vīsatinipāta

The Book of the Twenties

Paṭhamavagga

Chapter One

Telakānittheragāthā

Telakāni

“Cirarattaṁ vatātāpī,

For a long time, sadly,

dhammaṁ anuvicintayaṁ;

though I keenly contemplated the teaching,

Samaṁ cittassa nālatthaṁ,

I gained no peace of mind.

pucchaṁ samaṇabrāhmaṇe.

So I asked this of ascetics and brahmins:

‘Ko so pāraṅgato loke,

“Who in the world have crossed over?

ko patto amatogadhaṁ;

Whose attainment has freedom from death
as its objective?

Kassa dhammaṁ paṭicchāmi,

Whose teaching do I accept

paramatthavijānanaṁ’.

to understand the ultimate goal?

Antovaṅkagato āsi,

I was hooked inside,

macchova ghasamāmisaṁ;

like a fish gulping bait;

Baddho mahindapāsena,

bound like the titan Vepaciti

vepacityasuro yathā.

in Mahinda’s trap.

Añchāmi naṁ na muñcāmi,

Dragging it along, I’m not free

asmā sokapariddavā;

from grief and lamentation.

Ko me bandhaṁ muñcaṁ loke,

Who will free me from bonds in the world,

sambodhiṁ vedayissati.

so that I may know awakening?

Samaṇaṁ brāhmaṇaṁ vā kaṁ,

What ascetic or brahmin

ādisantaṁ pabhaṅgunaṁ;

points out what is frail?

Kassa dhammaṁ paṭicchāmi,

Whose teaching do I accept

jarāmaccupavāhanaṁ.

to rinse off old age and death?

Vicikicchākaṅkhāganthitaṁ,

Tied up with uncertainty and doubt,

sārambhabalasaññutaṁ;

secured by the power of aggression,

Kodhappattamanatthaddhaṁ,

stiff as a mind beset by anger;

abhijappappadāraṇaṁ.

the arrow of covetousness,

Taṇhādhanusamuṭṭhānaṁ,

propelled by the bow of craving,

dve ca pannarasāyutaṁ;

is stuck in my twice-fifteen ribcage—

Passa orasikaṁ bāḷhaṁ,

see how it stands in my breast,

bhetvāna yadi tiṭṭhati.

breaking my strong heart.

Anudiṭṭhīnaṁ appahānaṁ,

Theories are not abandoned,

saṅkappaparatejitaṁ;

they are sharpened by memories and intentions;

Tena viddho pavedhāmi,

and pierced by this I tremble,

pattaṁva māluteritaṁ.

like a leaf blowing in the gale.

Ajjhattaṁ me samuṭṭhāya,

Having arisen within,

khippaṁ paccati māmakaṁ;

what belongs to me burns quickly,

Chaphassāyatanī kāyo,

in that place where the body always heads

yattha sarati sabbadā.

with its six sense-fields of contact.

Taṁ na passāmi tekicchaṁ,

I don’t see a healer

yo metaṁ sallamuddhare;

who can pull out my dart of doubt

Nānārajjena satthena,

without a lance

nāññena vicikicchitaṁ.

or some other blade.

Ko me asattho avaṇo,

Without knife or wound,

Sallamabbhantarapassayaṁ;

who will pull out this dart

Ahiṁsaṁ sabbagattāni,

that’s stuck inside me,

Sallaṁ me uddharissati.

without harming any part of my body?

Dhammappati hi so seṭṭho,

He really would be the Lord of the Dhamma,

visadosappavāhako;

the best one to cure the damage of poison;

Gambhīre patitassa me,

when I have fallen into deep waters,

thalaṁ pāṇiñca dassaye.

he would show me his hand and the shore.

Rahadehamasmi ogāḷho,

I’ve plunged into a lake,

ahāriyarajamattike;

and I can’t wash off the mud and dirt.

Māyāusūyasārambha,

It’s full of deceit, jealousy, aggression,

thinamiddhamapatthaṭe.

and dullness and drowsiness.

Uddhaccameghathanitaṁ,

Like a thundering cloud of restlessness,

saṁyojanavalāhakaṁ;

like a stormcloud of fetters;

Vāhā vahanti kuddiṭṭhiṁ,

lustful thoughts are winds

saṅkappā rāganissitā.

that sweep off a person with bad views.

Savanti sabbadhi sotā,

The streams flow everywhere;

latā ubbhijja tiṭṭhati;

a weed springs up and remains.

Te sote ko nivāreyya,

Who will block the streams?

taṁ lataṁ ko hi checchati.

Who will cut the weed?”

Velaṁ karotha bhaddante,

“Venerable sir, build a dam

sotānaṁ sannivāraṇaṁ;

to block the streams.

Mā te manomayo soto,

Don’t let your mind-made streams

rukkhaṁva sahasā luve.

cut you down suddenly like a tree.”

Evaṁ me bhayajātassa,

That is how, when I was full of fear,

apārā pāramesato;

seeking the far shore from the near,

Tāṇo paññāvudho satthā,

my shelter was the Teacher whose weapon is wisdom,

isisaṅghanisevito.

frequented by the Saṅgha of seers.

Sopāṇaṁ sugataṁ suddhaṁ,

As I was being swept away,

dhammasāramayaṁ daḷhaṁ;

he gave me a strong, simple ladder,

Pādāsi vuyhamānassa,

made of the heartwood of Dhamma,

‘mā bhāyī’ti ca mabravi.

and he said to me: “Do not fear.”

Satipaṭṭhānapāsādaṁ,

I climbed the tower of mindfulness meditation,

āruyha paccavekkhisaṁ;

and checked back down

Yaṁ taṁ pubbe amaññissaṁ,

at people delighting in substantial reality,

sakkāyābhirataṁ pajaṁ.

as I had obsessed over in the past.

Yadā ca maggamaddakkhiṁ,

When I saw the path,

nāvāya abhirūhanaṁ;

as I was embarking on the ship,

Anadhiṭṭhāya attānaṁ,

without fixating on the self,

titthamaddakkhimuttamaṁ.

I saw the supreme landing-place.

Sallaṁ attasamuṭṭhānaṁ,

The dart that arises in oneself,

bhavanettippabhāvitaṁ;

and that which stems from the leash to existence:

Etesaṁ appavattāya,

he taught the supreme path

desesi maggamuttamaṁ.

for the canceling of these.

Dīgharattānusayitaṁ,

For a long time it had lain within me;

cirarattamadhiṭṭhitaṁ;

for a long time it was fixed in me:

Buddho mepānudī ganthaṁ,

the Buddha cast aside the knot,

visadosappavāhano”ti.

curing the damage of poison.

… Telakāni thero ….