Cullavaggo

7-5: Lakuṇṭakabhaddiyasuttaṁ (65)
The Discourse about Bhaddiya the Dwarf

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.

Tena kho pana samayena āyasmā Lakuṇṭakabhaddiyo
Then at that time venerable Bhaddiya the Dwarf

sambahulānaṁ bhikkhūnaṁ piṭṭhito piṭṭhito
close behind many monks

yena Bhagavā tenupasaṅkami.
went to the Fortunate One.

Addasā kho Bhagavā āyasmantaṁ Lakuṇṭakabhaddiyaṁ
The Fortunate One saw venerable Bhaddiya the Dwarf

dūrato va sambahulānaṁ bhikkhūnaṁ piṭṭhito piṭṭhito āgacchantaṁ,
coming while still far away close behind many monks,

dubbaṇṇaṁ duddasikaṁ okoṭimakaṁ,
ugly, unsightly, and deformed,

yebhuyyena bhikkhūnaṁ paribhūtarūpaṁ.
whom almost all of the monks ignored.

Disvāna, bhikkhū āmantesi:
Having seen (that), he addressed the monks, (saying):

“Passatha no tumhe bhikkhave etaṁ bhikkhuṁ
“Do you see, monks, that monk

dūrato va sambahulānaṁ bhikkhūnaṁ piṭṭhito piṭṭhito āgacchantaṁ
coming while still far away close behind many monks,

dubbaṇṇaṁ duddasikaṁ okoṭimakaṁ
ugly, unsightly, and deformed,

yebhuyyena bhikkhūnaṁ paribhūtarūpan?”-ti.
whom almost all of the monks ignore?”

“Evaṁ bhante,” ti.
“Yes, reverend Sir.”

“Eso bhikkhave bhikkhu mahiddhiko mahānubhavo.
“That monk, monks, is one of great power and great majesty.

Na ca sā samāpatti sulabharūpā yā tena bhikkhunā asamāpannapubbā,
There is no well-gained attainment which has not been already attained by that monk,

yassatthāya kulaputtā sammad-eva agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajanti,
(including) that good for which sons of good family rightly go forth from the home to the homeless life,

tad-anuttaraṁ brahmacariyapariyosānaṁ,
that unsurpassed conclusion to the spiritual life,

diṭṭhe va dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja viharatī” ti.
and he dwells having known, directly experienced, and attained it himself in this very life.”

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:

“Nelaṅgo BJT reads nelaggo here, as does the SHB Commentary. The Burmese texts and Commentaries read nelaṅgo as here; and Udānavarga (27-30) reads nelāṅgaḥ. setapacchādo, ~ ekāro vattatī ratho,
“With faultless wheel, with a white covering, ~ the one-spoked chariot rolls on,

Anīghaṁ passa āyantaṁ, ~ chinnasotaṁ abandhanan”-ti.
See the untroubled one coming, ~ who has cut off the stream, who is unbound.”

last updated: May 2007