Sutta Translation

“Aarocayaami vo, bhikkhave, pa.tivedayaami vo, bhikkhave, yathaa etadeva tassa vara.m dussiilassa paapadhammassa asucisa'nkassarasamaacaarassa pa.ticchannakammantassa assama.nassa sama.napa.tiññassa abrahmacaarissa brahmacaaripa.tiññassa antopuutikassa avassutassa kasambujaatassa ya.m amu.m mahanta.m aggikkhandha.m aaditta.m sampajjalita.m sajotibhuuta.m aali'ngetvaa upanisiideyya vaa upanipajjeyya vaa. Ta.m kissa hetu? Tatonidaanañhi so, bhikkhave, mara.na.m vaa nigaccheyya mara.namatta.m vaa dukkha.m, na tveva tappaccayaa kaayassa bhedaa para.m mara.naa apaaya.m duggati.m vinipaata.m niraya.m upapajjeyya.

“Aarocayaami vo, bhikkhave, pa.tivedayaami vo, bhikkhave,
let me tell / you / monks / let me make known / to you / monks
“Let me tell you, monks, let me explain to you, monks,

  • aarocayaami (imperative of aaroceti) let (me) tell, announce.
  • vo (also tumhe) you.
  • pa.tivedayaami (imperative of pa.tivedeti) let (me) make known, declare, announce.
  • vo (also tumhaaka.m) to you.

yathaa etadeva tassa vara.m dussiilassa paapadhammassa asucisa'nkassarasamaacaarassa pa.ticchannakammantassa
as / this / for him / wish / of poor conduct / of evil character / of impure wicked conduct / who acts in an underhand manner
that this would surely be the better for one who is of poor conduct, an evil-minded one, a filthy doer of complete wickedness who acts in an underhand manner,

  • yathaa (ind.) as, how.
  • tassa (dem. pronoun) for him.
  • vara.m (m.) wish.
  • dussiila (adj.) of bad character.
  • paapadhamma (adj.) of evil character or habits.
  • asucisa'nkassarasamaacaara = asuci+sa'nkassara+samaacaara : impure wicked conduct.
  • pa.ticchannakammanta = pa.ticchanna+kammanta : concealed business/work.

assama.nassa sama.napa.tiññassa abrahmacaarissa brahmacaaripa.tiññassa antopuutikassa avassutassa kasambujaatassa
a bogus monk / not leading a moral life / pretending to be leading a moral life / inwardly putrid / lustful / impure
who pretends to be a recluse yet is not a recluse, who pretends to lead the holy life yet does not lead the holy life, an inwardly-putrid, impure-natured one:

  • assama.na (m.) not a true sama.na, a bogus monk.
  • sama.napa.tiñña = sama.na+pa.tiñña : pretending to be a monk.
  • abrahmacaarii = a+brahmacaarii : not leading a chaste/moral life.
  • brahmacaaripa.tiñña = brahmacaarii+pa.tiñña : pretending to be leading a chaste/moral life.
  • antopuutika = anto+puutika : inwardly putrid.
  • avassuta (adj.) filled with desire, lustful.
  • kasambujaata (adj.) impure.

ya.m amu.m mahanta.m aggi-kkhandha.m aaditta.m sampajjalita.m sajotibhuuta.m aali'ngetvaa upanisiideyya vaa upanipajjeyya vaa.
that / that / great / fire-mass / burning / blazing / glowing / having embraced / sitting close to / or / lying down close to / or
Embracing that great mass of fire, burning, blazing, glowing, and sitting or lying down close to it.


Ta.m kissa hetu?
so / what / reason
What is the reason for this?

  • kissa (inter. pronoun) what.
  • hetu (m.) cause, reason.

Tatonidaanañhi so, bhikkhave, mara.na.m vaa nigaccheyya mara.namatta.m vaa dukkha.m,
because on account of that / he / monks / death / or / would suffer / like death / or / agony
Because on account of that, monks, he would suffer death, or death-like agony,

  • tatonidaanañhi = tatonidaana.m+hi : because on account of that.
  • so (dem. pronoun) he.
  • mara.na (n.) death.
  • nigaccheyya (optative of nigacchati) would suffer, undergo.
  • mara.namatta = mara.na+matta : like death.
  • dukkha (n.) pain, agony.

na tveva tappaccayaa kaayassa bhedaa para.m mara.naa apaaya.m duggati.m vinipaata.m niraya.m upapajjeyya.
not / but / by that account  / body's / (from) breaking-up / after / death / state of woe / realm of misery / place of suffering / purgatory / would be reborn in
but (he) would not, on account of that, on the break-up of the body after death be reborn into a place of woe, a realm of misery, a place of suffering, a purgatory.

  • na (ind.) not.
  • tveva (ind., enclitic) but, however.
  • tad (dem. pronoun 3rd person sing.) that.
  • tappaccayaa = ta+paccayaa << tassa+paccayaa (genitive tappurisa) : on account of this, by account of this.
    * E. M. Hare translates it as 'on account of this' at GS iv 85.
    * Synonym: ta.mkaara.naa.
  • kaaya (m.) body.
  • bheda (m.) breaking.
  • para.m (adv.) after.
  • kaayassa bhedaa para.m mara.naa - after the breaking up of the body & after death. [PED bheda]
  • apaaya (m.) a state of loss and woe.
  • duggati (f.) a realm of misery.
  • vinipaata (m.) a place of suffering.
  • niraya (m.) purgatory, hell.
  • upapajjeyya (optative of upapajjati) would be reborn in.
“Let me tell you, monks, let me explain to you, monks, that this would surely be the better for one who is of poor conduct, an evil-minded one, a filthy doer of complete wickedness who acts in an underhand manner, who pretends to be a recluse yet is not a recluse, who pretends to lead the holy life yet does not lead the holy life, an inwardly-putrid, impure-natured one: Embracing that great mass of fire, burning, blazing, glowing, and sitting or lying down close to it. What is the reason for this? Because on account of that, monks, he would suffer death, or death-like agony, but (he) would not, on account of that, on the break-up of the body after death be reborn into a place of woe, a realm of misery, a place of suffering, a purgatory.

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