V.DHAMMIKA
43(1)The Nāga
On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Savatthī in Jeta's Grove,Anāthapindika's Park.
Then,in the morning,
the Blessed One dressed,took his bowl and robe,and entered Savatthi for alms.
When he had walked for alms in Savatthī,after his meal,on returning from his alms round,he addressed the Venerable Ananda:
“Come,Ananda,let us go to Migāramatā's Mansion in the Eastern Park [345]to pass the day."
"Yes,Bhante,"the Venerable Ananda replied.
Then the Blessed One,together with the Venerable Ananda,went to Migaramātā's Mansion in the Eastern Park.
Then in the evening the Blessed One emerged-from seclusion and addressed the Venerable Ananda:
"Come,Ananda,let us go to the eastern gate to bathe."
"Yes,Bhante,"the Venerable Ananda replied.
Then the Blessed One,together with the Venerable Ananda,went to the eastern gate to bathe.
Having bathed at the eastern gate and come out,he stood in one robe drying himself.
On that occasion,King Pasenadi of Kosala's bull elephant
The various applications of the word nāga will be explained just below.King's Pasenadi's buli elephant was called"Seta" ("White")because its body was white.named"Seta"was coming out through the eastern gate to the accompaniment of instrumental music and drumming.People saw him and said:
"The king's bull elephant is handsome!
The king's bull elephant is beautiful!
The king's bull elephant is graceful!
The king's bull elephant is massive!He's a nāga,truly a nāga."
When this was said,the Venerable Udāyī said to the Blessed
One:
"Bhante,is it only when people see an elephant possessed of a large massive body that they say:
'A nāga,truly a nāga!'or do people also say this when they see [other]things possessed of a large massive body?"
...
"(1)Udāyi,when people see an elephant possessed of a large massive body,they say:
'A nāga,truly,a nāga!'
(2)When peoplesee a horse possessed of a large massive body,they say:'A nāga,truly a nāga!'(3)When people see a bull possessed of a large massive body,they say:'A nāga,truly a nāga!'(4)When peoplesee a serpent possessed of a large massive body,they say:'A nāga,truly a naga!'(5)When people see a tree [346]possessed of a large massive body,they say:'A nāga,truly a nāga!'(6)When people see a human being possessed of a large massive body,they say:
'A nāga,truly a naga!'
But,Udāyī,in the world with its devas,Maāra,and Brahmā,in this population with its ascetics and brahmins,its devas and humans,I call one a nāga who does no evil by body,speech,and mind."
A pun is intended here.The Buddha's statement—āguṃ na karoti--playfully derives the word naga from na+agum,"no evil."Naga thus becomes an epithet for the Buddha,or,more broadly,for any arahant.See Sn 527:Agum na karoti kinci loke... nāgo tadi pavuccate tathattā("One who does no evil in the world ..the stable one is for such a reason called a nāga").See too Th1249(=SN.8:8,I192,34):Naganamo'si bhagava("You are named Naga,O Blessed One")."It's astounding and amazing,Bhante,
how well this was stated by the Blessed One:'But,Udāyi,in the world with itsdevas,Māra,and Brahmā,in this population with its asceticsand brahmins,its devas and humans,I call onea nāga who doesno evil by body,speech,and mind.'
I rejoice,Bhante,in this good statement of the Blessed One with these verses:
Mp identifies this Udāyī with Kaludāyi.However,the same verses at Th 689-704 are ascribed simply to Udāyī,while a different set of verses in Th (527-36)is ascribed to Kaludayī.This proves that Mp's identification of the poet cannot be correct.There is a Chinese parallel of this sutta,MA118(at TI608b2-609a3),which at several points proved helpful in my reading of the Pali verses.
"A human being who is fully enlightened,self-tamed and concentrated,
traveling on the path of brahmā,he takes delight in peace of mind.
"I have heard from the Arahant
that even the devas pay homage to him,
to the same one whom humans venerate,the one who has gone beyond everything.
"He has transcended all fetters
and emerged from the jungle to the clearing;
Reading with Be vanā nibbanamāgatam.Ce and Ee have nibbanam in place of nibbanam.Mp draws out the word play:"From the jungle of defilements,he has come to a clearing;he has reached nibbāna,devoid of the jungle of defilements"(kilesavanatonibbanam kilesavanarahitam nibbānam āgatam sampattam).It seems that Ce and Ee have transposed nibbana from the gloss into the text itself.The Chinese at TI608c2 has 於林離林去，"from the woods he has left the woods,"which supports the Be reading.
delighting in renunciation of sensual pleasures,he is like pure gold freed from its ore.
"He is the naga who outshines all,
like the Himalayas amid the other mountains.
Among all things named naga,he,unsurpassed,is the one truly named:
Saccanāmo is not"one whose name is truth,"but"one who is truly named,"whose name truly corresponds to his being.Mp:"He is truly named,really named,accurately named 'nāga'just because of not doing evil"(tacchanamo bhutanāmo agum akaraneneva nagotievam avitathanāmo).The Chinese (at TI608c7)has一切龍中龍,真諦無上龍,"he is the nāga among all nāgas,in truth the nāga whois unsurpassed."
"I will extol for you the nāga:indeed,he does no evil.
Mildness and harmlessness are two feet of the nāga.
"Austerity and celibacy are the nāga's other two feet.
There is a word play here between two meanings of carana,"conduct,behavior"and"feet."Mp glosses:"They are the Buddha-nāga's two hind feet."
Faith is the great naga's trunk,and equanimity his ivory tusks.
"Mindfulness is his neck,his head is wisdom,investigation,and reflection on phenomena.
Sati giva siro panna vimamsa dhammacintana.I translate the terms quite literally.Mp,however,says:"The tip of the elephant's trunk is called investigation(vimamsa)because [it investigates]things to determine whether they are hard or soft,edible or inedible,etc.He then rejects whatever should be rejected and takes whatever should be taken.So,for the Buddha-nāga,reflection on phenomena(dhammacintana)—referring to his knowledge that determines the classes of phenomena—is his [means of]investigation.With this knowledge he knows who is capable and who incapable."The Chinese at 608cn renders the line in a more straight forward way:智慧頭思惟分别法，"wisdom is his head,reflection on and discrimination of phenomena."
Dhamma is the balanced heat of his belly,and seclusion is his tail.
In pada c I read samatapo with Be and Ee,as against Ce samāvāpo.Mp:"It is the concentration of the fourth jhāna that is here called dhamma.For it is on this basis that the super normal powers succeed.Therefore it is called balanced heat of the belly(kucchisamatapo).Seclusion(viveka)refers to bodily seclusion,mental seclusion,and seclusion from the acquisitions (kayacittaupadhiviveko).As the elephant uses its tail to ward off mosquitoes,so the Tathagata resorts to seclusion to ward off householders and monks."The Chinese reads the couplet(at 608c12)as受持諸法腹，樂遠離雙臂，"upholding dharmas is his belly,and delight in seclusion is his pair of arms."Apparently in this transmission,valadhi of the Pali came down as bahuni.
"This meditator,delighting in consolation,
Assasa can mean both inhalation and consolation,the latter referring to arahantship.Mp says that just as inhalation and exhalation are what keeps the elephant alive,so fruition attainment (phalasamapatti) is essential to the Buddha,and it is there that he delights.is inwardly well concentrated.
When walking,the nāga is concentrated;when standing,the nāga is concentrated.
"When lying down,the nāga is concentrated;when sitting,too,the nāga is concentrated.[347]
Everywhere,the nāga is restrained:this is the nāga's accomplishment.
"He eats blameless food,
but doesn't eat what is blameworthy.
When he gains food and clothing,he avoids storing it up.
"Having cut off all fetters and bonds,whether they be gross or subtle,
in whatever direction he goes,he goes without concern.
"The lotus flower
is born and grown up in water,
yet is not soiled by the water but remains fragrant and delightful.
"Just so the Buddha,well born in the world,dwells in the world,
Reading with Be loke viharati.Ce and Ee loke virajjati means"becomes detached in the world,"which does not match 'the simile as well.
yet is not soiled by the world like the lotus [unsoiled]by water.
"A great fire all ablaze
settles down.when deprived of fuel,
and when all the coals have gone out,it is said to be extinguished.
In place of sankharesupasantesu in pāda c(the reading of all three editions),F read here with a pair of Burmese manuscripts(referred to in a note in Ee):angaresu ca santesu,nibbutoti pavuccati.The reading is also found at Th 702.Vanarata points out that"the whole verse is the simile and nibbuto [meaning both an extinguished fire and a person who has attained nibbāna]refers to the fire."The Chinese(at 608c27),in agreement with Th and the Burmese manuscripts,has 無薪火不傅，此火調之滅,"Without firewood,the fire does not continue.This fire is then said to have ceased."
"This simile,which conveys the meaning,was taught by the wise.
Great nāgas will know the naga that was taught by the nāga.
Mp:"Other arahant nāgas will know the Buddha-naga that was taught by the naga,the elder Udāyi."Despite Mp,I suspect the text itself intends the Buddha himself as the one who taught about the nāga.The Chinese (at 608c29)supports my suspicion:龍中龍所説，"it was spoken by the nāga among nāgas."
"Devoid of lust,devoid of hatred,devoid of delusion,without taints,
the nāga,discarding his body,taintless,is utterly quenched and attains final nibbāna:"
Reading with Ee parinibbati'nasavo,as against Ce and Be parinibbissati anasavo.This verse completes the simile with the fire.The analogy is clearer in the Chinese(at 609a2),where此龍謂之滅,"this nāga is said to have attained nibbāna,"echoes 608c27,此火謂之滅,"this fire is said to have ceased."I have attempted to capture this effect by translating parinibbati twice,first as quenched and then in terms of its doctrinal meaning.