SN 2.11

Candimasa sutta: With Candimasa

Candimasasutta

Anāthapiṇḍikavagga

The deity Candimasa says that those who practice absorption will surely find escape. The Buddha adds that they must also be diligent and discard flaws.

Traduzioni

At Sāvatthī.

Then, late at night, the glorious godling Candimasa, lighting up the entire Jeta’s Grove, went up to the Buddha, bowed, stood to one side, and spoke this verse in the Buddha’s presence:

“Like deer in a mosquito-free marsh,
they will reach a safe place
having entered the absorptions,
unified, alert, and mindful.”

“Like fish when the net is cut,
they will reach the far shore
having entered the absorptions,
diligent, with strife discarded.”

Rig Vedic raṇa usually means “joy, delight” (eg. 8.96.16, 10.104.7) or occasionally “battle, strife, conflict” (see MN 139). The commentary explains it here as “vice, defilement”. But compare Rig Veda 10.112.10, where Indra the “bounteous” (maghavan) is urged to “battle” and bestow a share of winnings on devotees. Likewise at 10.113.4 Indra’s successful “battle” is a prelude to releasing the waters. Then there is the oft-quoted line dhanañjayaṁ raṇe-raṇe (“winner of the stakes in every battle”, 1.74.3, 6.16.15). These suggest emendation to raṇañjaya (“victor in battle”), but this is not attested in Pali. On the other hand, the Chinese translation at SA 1303 seems to take raṇa in the sense of “delight” (喜樂). Also see the uddāna to Thag 1.50, vimalo ca raṇañjaho, which supports the commentarial sense “free of defilement”. On the whole, since the sense “strife” is clearly attested, and the development of Vedic “joy” to commentarial “defilement” is not well-attested, I am inclined to accept the sense “strife” in all cases, while suspecting that the original of raṇañjaha was raṇañjaya.

Su questa traduzione

Bhikkhu Sujato · CC0

Che tutti gli esseri siano felici