Dhammapada Verse 40
Pancasatabhikkhu Vatthu
The Dhammapada Commentary
Courtesy of Nibbana.com
Translated by the Department of Pali
University of Rangoon, Burma
1966
Kumbhupamam kayam imam viditva
nagarupam cittam idam thapetva
yodhetha Maram pannavudhena,
jitan ca rakkhe anivesano siya.
(Realising that this body is (fragile) like an earthen pot and
establishing this mind firm like a fortress, let him fight Mara with the weapon
of knowledge, keep up his conquest and be free from attachment.)
The Master while residing at Savatthi gave this religious discourse beginning
with "Kumbhupamam" in connection with the Bhikkhus who were exerting
for the attainment of spritual insight.
It is said that, at Savatthi, five hundred Bhikkhus having obtained from the
Master a subject of meditation (leading) to Arahatship and with the idea of
carrying out the practices of a Bhikkhu, travelled a distance of about a hundred
leagues and went to a large village. People saw them and arranged and offered
seats and having served them with delicious rice gruel and other eatables, they
enquired of them as to where they were going. When told that they were going to
a suitable place, they requested them saying, "Venerable Sirs, may you
reside even here during these three months. We too will take recourse to the
Three Refuges and will observe the precepts under your guidance." When they
knew of their acceptance, they said: "Venerable Sirs, not far from here
there is a big forest-grove. May you please reside there." They conducted
them to that place and there the Bhikkhus took up their residence.
The gods who were inhabiting in that grove thought thus: "The virtuous
Bhikkhus have come to this grove, and they are residing here, it is improper for
us to live with our families on the trees", and coming down (from the
trees), sat on the ground with the thought that the Venerable ones would be
stopping there only for one night and they would surely go away the next day.
However on the following day the Bhikkhus entered the village for alms-food and
returned to the same grove. The gods thought to themselves: "The Bhikkhus
might have been invited by some one for the following day, so they have come
back again. To-day they are not moving out, but it seems they will be going away
tomorrow." In this way they remained on the ground for a fortnight. They
then discussed among themselves thus: "It appears that the Venerable ones
will reside at this very place for these three months and while they are living
here it will not be proper for us to live on the trees with our families. To
live for there months with the family on the ground is difficult. Something
should be done to make these Bhikkhus run away from here. The gods then started
showing the bodiless heads and headless trunks, and also make them hear ghostly
sounds at various places wherever the Bhikkhus used to spend the day or the
night and also at the corners of the cloister walk. It so happened that the
Bhikkhus suffered from ailments like sneezing, coughing and so on. On enquiring
from each other as to the ailment they were suffering from the Bhikkhus came to
know that some one was suffering from sneezing, some one from coughing and so
on. Further, they learnt that some one had seen a bodiless head at the end of
the cloister walk and some other had seen a headless trunk at the place where he
spent the night, while others again had heard ghostly sounds at the places where
they were spending the day. They decided that that place should be abandoned
because it was ill-suited to their convenience and to go to the Master.
Accordingly they left the place, went to the Master, paid obeisance, and took
their seats on one side. The Master asked them, "Bhikkus, is it not
possible for you to live in that place?" "No, Lord, people living
there used to witness such dreadful visions and experienced such inconveniences.
Therefore we have decided that that place should be abandoned and accordingly we
have left that place and come to you?' "Bhikkhus, you ought to go back to
the same place". "It is impossible, Lord." "Bhikkhus,
previously you had gone there without any weapons. Now you take them and
go." "What may be the weapons, Lord?" The Master, saying "I
shall give you the weapons, take them and go", taught them the entire Metta
Sutta (Sermon on Loving Kindness) beginning with.
Karaniyam atthakusalena
yantam santam padam abhisamecca
sakko uju ca suhuju ca
suvaco c'assa mudu anatimani.
(One who understands the path of tranquility and is skilled (in
acquiring) one's own benefit should be proficient, upright, very straight, mild
in speech, gentle and free from conceit.)
And the Master saying "Bhikkhus, recite this starting from the
forest-grove outside the hermitage, and enter your residence", sent them
away. They left having paid obeisance to the Master, and in course of time,
arrived at that place. Reciting together in a group the Sutta outside the
hermitage, they entered the forest-grove, receiving the good will, went forth to
welcome them, requested the bhikkhus to allow them to take their bowls and robes
and to massage the bodies. Having well-provided them with proper protection
everywhere, they lived together. No more were there the ghostly sounds, and they
began to have peace of mind. Seated in their respective places for spending day
and night, the bhikkhus directed their thoughts to spiritual insight and bearing
in mind the decay and destruction in one's own body, they developed the
spiritual insight being aware that "this body resembles the unbaked vessel
and it has in its nature fragility and impermanance". The Buddha in his
Perfumed Chamber, realising how they have striven for the spiritual insight,
addressed those bhikkhus, "True, bhikkhus, because of its fragile and
impermanant nature, that this body is like the unbaked earthern pot".
Having said thus, the Perfectly Enlightened One shed forth radiance, though
staying at a distance of a hundred leagues, and appeared as if he was seated in
their presence in visible form letting out the six-hued ray, and spoke the
verse:
Kumbhupamam kayam imam viditva
nagarupamam cittam idam thapetva
yodhetha Maram pannavudhena,
jitan ca rakkhe anivesano siya.
Realising that this body is (fragile) like an earthen
pot and establishing this mind firm like a fortress, let him fight Mara with the
weapon of knowledge, keep up his conquest and be free from attachment.
Therein, Kumbbhupamam implies that realising (viditva) that
this body (kayam), which is constituted of a collection of hair etc.,
resembles an earthen pot (Kumbhupamam) which has not been baked, because
of the fact that it is not strong and frail, and being not lasting for long
stable only for a single span of life. In the expression, nagarupamam (like
a fortress) means that which is fortified from outside, surrounded by deep mote
and walls fitted with gates and turrets, within which are provided well laid-out
streets, squares, cross roads and shops. Robbers, coming from outside with the
intention of plundering it being unable to force an entrance, go away like those
falling back in trying to climb the mountain. Similarly, a respectable wise man,
having made his meditative mind strong like a fortress, repulses the mental
depravities, personified as Mara which would be destroyed by the various paths
with the help of the weapon of his knowedge which is made up of spiritual
insight and the noble path. Like a man standing inside the citadel (repelling)
alone the gang of robbers with the help of various kinds of weapons such as
sharp edged weapons etc. should strike (yodhetha) at that mental
depravities deified as Mara.
Jitan ca rakkhe means he should guard over that which he has conquered
while resorting to the primary insight which he had caused to arise, having
regard to the suitability of residence, climate, food, associates and religious
discourse, and at intervals he should enter upon ecstatic meditation and then
arising from that form of meditation and with his purified thought he should
keep up the practice (reflecting upon) unstable nature of the constituted
things.
Anivesano siya means one should be free from attachment. As for
example, a warrior while fighting with the enemy after deploying his army at the
forefront, becomes either hungry, thirsty or loses his men or arms, and he would
return to the base and after taking rest, food and drinks, having re-armed with
armaments, goes back again and fights the foe. After he had crushed the enemy
forces, and conquered what he had not conquered before he preserves his
conquest. If he would remain resting at the base thus keeping the army at rest
he would have had his kingship gone to some other. Similarly, a bhikkhu having
entered upon the ecstatic meditation frequently and thereby (developing) the
primary insight which he has gained, rising out of the meditation, reflecting
with a pure mind on the (unstable nature) of all constituted things he is able
to preserve (insight). Furthermore, he conquers the depravities defied as Mara
by the attainment of the path. If, however, he is contented with his attainment
in meditation alone and does not reflect upon the unstability of constituted
things frequently with his pure mind, he will not be able to realize the path
and the fruition. And so, preserving what ought to be preserved and
concentrating the attainment in meditation, one should not cling to it nor
should he be attahed to it; this is what is meant by anivesano siya.
By the expression "You, too, conduct yourselves in this way" the
Teacher thus sermonized those bhikkhus. At the end of the sermon, the five
hundred bhikkhus, even while seated where they were, attained Arahatship
together with analytical knowledge and departed after appreciating, praising and
paying respect to the golden-hued person of the Buddha.