Soṇavaggo

5-2: Appāyukasuttaṁ (42)
The Discourse about the One Short-Lived

Evaṁ me sutaṁ:
Thus I heard:

ekaṁ samayaṁ Bhagavā Sāvatthiyaṁ viharati,
at one time the Fortunate One was dwelling near Sāvatthī,

Jetavane Anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme.
in Jeta’s Wood, at Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery.

Atha kho āyasmā Ānando sāyanhasamayaṁ patisallānā vuṭṭhito
Then venerable Ānanda, having risen from seclusion in the evening time,

yena Bhagavā tenupasaṅkami,
went to the Fortunate One,

upasaṅkamitvā Bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā, ekamantaṁ nisīdi.
and after going and worshipping the Fortunate One, he sat down on one side.

Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā Ānando Bhagavantaṁ etad-avoca:
While sat on one side the venerable Ānanda said this to the Fortunate One:

“Acchariyaṁ bhante, abbhutaṁ bhante,
“It is wonderful, reverend Sir, it is marvellous, reverend Sir,

yāva appāyukā hi bhante Bhagavato mātā ahosi,
just how short-lived, reverend Sir, the Fortunate One’s mother was,

sattāhajāte Bhagavati, Locative absolute construction, with the sense of the time after. Bhagavato mātā kālam-akāsi,
seven days after the Fortunate One was born, the Fortunate One’s mother died,

Tusitaṁ kāyaṁ upapajjī” ti.
and arose among the Tusita hosts.”

“Evam-etaṁ Ānanda appāyukā hi Ānanda bodhisattamātaro honti,
“It is just so, Ānanda, the mothers of Awakening-Ones are indeed short-lived,

sattāhajātesu bodhisattesu bodhisattamātaro kālaṁ karonti,
seven days after the Awakening-Ones are born, the mothers of Awakening-Ones die,

Tusitaṁ kāyaṁ upapajjantī” ti.
and arise among the Tusita hosts.”

Atha kho Bhagavā, etam-atthaṁ viditvā,
Then the Fortunate One, having understood the significance of it,

tāyaṁ velāyaṁ imaṁ udānaṁ udānesi:
on that occasion uttered this exalted utterance:

“Ye keci bhūtā bhavissanti ye vā pi,
“Whatsoever beings there are, or [ever] will be,

Sabbe gamissanti pahāya dehaṁ.
They will all go on after giving up the body.

Taṁ sabbaṁ jāniṁ kusalo viditvā,
The one who is skilful, having understood all that deprivation,

Ātāpiyo brahmacariyaṁ careyyā” ti.
Should live the spiritual life ardently.”