Udāna, Exalted Utterances

2: Mucalindavaggo
Atha kho Bhagavā, etam-atthaṁ viditvā,
Then the Gracious One, having understood the significance of it,
tāyaṁ velāyaṁ imaṁ udānaṁ udānesi:
on that occasion uttered this exalted utterance:
“Piyarūpassādagathitāse devakāyā puthumanussā ca,
“Hosts of devas and many men are tied by the satisfaction in forms that are loved,
Aghāvino parijunnā, Maccurājassa vasaṁ gacchanti.
Miserable and worn out, they come under the power of the King of Death.
Ye ve divā ca ratto ca appamattā jahanti piyarūpaṁ -
For sure those who are heedful day and night, give up forms that are loved -
Te ve khananti aghamūlaṁ Maccuno āmisaṁ durativattan”-ti.
They surely dig up the root of misery (which is) Death's bait, so difficult to
transcend.”
Evaṁ me sutaṁ:
Thus I heard:
2-8: Suppavāsāsuttaṁ (18)
The Discourse about Suppavāsā
ekaṁ samayaṁ Bhagavā Kuṇḍiyāyaṁ viharati Kuṇḍadhānavane.
at one time the Gracious One was dwelling near Kuṇḍiya, at Kuṇḍadhāna Wood.
Tena kho pana samayena Suppavāsā Koliyadhītā 76
Then at that time the Koliyan lady Suppavāsā
sattavassāni gabbhaṁ dhāreti, sattāhaṁ mūḷhagabbhā. 77
was with child for seven years, and for seven days it was lost in the womb (and couldn't
be delivered).
Sā dukkhāhi tibbāhi kharāhi kaṭukāhi vedanāhi phuṭṭhā,
While she was affected by painful, sharp, harsh, and bitter feelings,
tīhi vitakkehi adhivāseti: “Sammāsambuddho vata so Bhagavā,
she consented to three thoughts: “For sure the Gracious One is a Perfect Sambuddha,
yo imassa evarūpassa dukkhassa pahānāya dhammaṁ deseti;
who teaches the Dhamma for the giving up of suffering such as this;
76 °dhītā (lit.: daughter) is pleonastic here and has to be interpreted metaphorically or left untranslated. A
similar situation arises even more frequently with °putta (lit.: son) cf. Ayyaputta below, and, PED, s.v
putta.
77 Literally: [the child] was lost in the womb.
52