“Satimatī cakkhumatī,
bhikkhunī bhāvitindriyā;
Paṭivijjhi padaṁ santaṁ,
akāpurisasevitaṁ”.
“Mindful, with vision
A bhikkhuni of developed faculties
I broke through to that peaceful state
Not embraced by immoral men.”
[Māra interrupted this bhikkhuni’s reverie1]
“Kiṁ nu jātiṁ na rocesi,
jāto kāmāni bhuñjati;
Bhuñjāhi kāmaratiyo,
māhu pacchānutāpinī”.
“Why don’t you approve of birth?
One who’s born gets to enjoy sensual pleasures.
Enjoy the delights of the senses!
Don’t [miss out and] later regret it.” 2
“Jātassa maraṇaṁ hoti,
hatthapādāna chedanaṁ;
Vadhabandhapariklesaṁ,
jāto dukkhaṁ nigacchati.
“For the born there is death!
Hand & foot severed
Execution, bondage, calamity
The born descends to suffering.
Atthi sakyakule jāto,
sambuddho aparājito;
So me dhammamadesesi,
jātiyā samatikkamaṁ.
[But] there exists, born to the Sakyans,
The rightly Awakened, incomparable;
He taught me the Dhamma
For overcoming birth:
Dukkhaṁ dukkhasamuppādaṁ,
dukkhassa ca atikkamaṁ;
Ariyaṁ caṭṭhaṅgikaṁ maggaṁ,
dukkhūpasamagāminaṁ.
Suffering, suffering’s origin,
Suffering’s transcendence, and
The noble eightfold path
That leads to the stilling of suffering.3
Tassāhaṁ vacanaṁ sutvā,
vihariṁ sāsane ratā;
Tisso vijjā anuppattā,
kataṁ buddhassa sāsanaṁ.
On hearing his words
I lived delighting in his teaching
Attained is the Triple Knowledge
Done is the Buddha’s teaching
Sabbattha vihatā nandī,
tamokhandho padālito;
Evaṁ jānāhi pāpima,
nihato tvamasi antaka”.
Enjoyment killed at every level
The mass of darkness destroyed;
You see, evil-doer
You’re defeated, death-maker.”
Sattakanipāto niṭṭhito.
The Book of the Sevens is finished.
