Snp 5.12 — The Questions of Jatukaṇṇī

English translation by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.

Translation

Text

5:12 Bhadrāvudha’s Question

I entreat the one who has
abandoned home—cutting through craving, unperturbed;
abandoned delight—crossed over the flood, released;
abandoned theory—very intelligent:
Having heard the Nāga, they will leave—
  the many gathered
  from many lands, hero,
  in hopes of your words.
So tell them, please,
  how this Dhamma has
  been known to you.

The Buddha:
Subdue craving & grasping—all—
  above, below,
  across, in between.1
For whatever people cling to in the world,
  it’s through that
  that Māra pursues them.

So a monk, mindful,
  seeing these people
  entangled in grasping
  as entangled in Death’s realm,
should cling to nothing
  in all the world,
      every world.

vv. 1101–1104

Note

1. For Nd II’s discussion of the various meanings of the objects of craving “above, below, across, in between,” see Sn 5:4, note 3. For further discussions of the many places where craving can arise, see DN 22 and SN 35:95, note 1.