Dighanikaya 9.411_6

9.411_6

Ayaṃ pana poṭṭhapādo paribbājako paṇḍitajātiko. Tenassa taṃ kathaṃ sutvā vippaṭisāro uppajji. ‘‘Imesaṃ kathā eḷamūgakathā viya cattāro hi nirodhe ete paññapenti, iminā ca nirodhena nāma ekena bhavitabbaṃ, na bahunā. Tenāpi ekena aññeneva bhavitabbaṃ, so pana aññena ñātuṃ na sakkā aññatra sabbaññunā. Sace bhagavā idha abhavissa ‘ayaṃ nirodho ayaṃ na nirodho’ti dīpasahassaṃ viya ujjāletvā ajjameva pākaṭaṃ akarissā’’ti dasabalaññeva anussari. Tasmā ‘‘tassa mayhaṃ bhante’’tiādimāha. Tattha aho nūnāti anussaraṇatthe nipātadvayaṃ, tena tassa bhagavantaṃ anussarantassa etadahosi ‘‘aho nūna bhagavā aho nūna sugato’’ti. Yo imesanti yo etesaṃ nirodhadhammānaṃ sukusalo nipuṇo cheko, so bhagavā aho nūna katheyya, sugato aho nūna katheyyāti ayamettha adhippāyo. Pakataññūti ciṇṇavasitāya pakatiṃ sabhāvaṃ jānātīti pakataññū. Kathaṃ nu khoti idaṃ paribbājako ‘‘mayaṃ bhagavā na jānāma, tumhe jānātha, kathetha no’’ti āyācanto vadati. Atha bhagavā kathento ‘‘tatra poṭṭhapādā’’tiādimāha.

Now this wanderer Poṭṭhapāda was of a wise nature. Therefore, on hearing their talk, remorse arose in him: ‘The talk of these people is like the talk of deaf-mutes. For they describe four cessations, but this cessation must surely be one, not many. And that one must be quite different; but that cannot be known by anyone other than an omniscient one. If the Blessed One were here, he would make it clear this very day, as if kindling a thousand lamps, [saying,] “This is cessation; this is not cessation.”’ Thus he recollected the One of Ten Powers. Therefore he said: ‘Then to me, venerable sir…’, and so on. In that passage, ‘if only’ (aho nūna) is a pair of particles in the sense of recollection; by this, as he recollected the Blessed One, it occurred to him: ‘If only the Blessed One, if only the Well-Farer…!’ ‘He who among these’ (yo imesaṃ) means: if only he who is thoroughly skilled, subtle, and clever regarding these states of cessation—the Blessed One—would speak! If only the Well-Farer would speak! This is the meaning here. ‘Knower of what is natural’ (pakataññū) means one who knows the nature, the intrinsic essence, by virtue of having mastered it. ‘How indeed?’ (kathaṃ nu kho) is said by the wanderer in petition: ‘Blessed One, we do not know; you know; tell us.’ Then the Blessed One, in explaining, said: ‘Here, Poṭṭhapāda…’, and so on.