Commentary on the stanza on āraddha-vīriya

124. What is the origin of the stanza, starting with: āraddhavīriyo? It is said that a certain border king was great in knowledge but small in sovereignty with a body of army only a thousand strong. One day, that king thought: “Although i am a small sovereign, nevertheless, because of my possession of knowledge, I am able to capture the entire island of jambu”, sent a messenger to the surrounding king thus: “Within seven days, give me either your kingdom or battle”. Thereafter, that king made his own ministers assemble and said thus: “Without even consulting you, a hasty act had been done by me; such a message had been sent to such a king; what should be done, now?” Those ministers enquired thus: “O great king! Is it possible to ask that messenger to turn back?” The king replied: “It is not possible; he must have gone”. The ministers suggested thus “If it is thus and we were to be destroyed with you, indeed, in that case it is miserable to die by the weapon of enemy; now, let us die striking each other; let us strike ourselves and die. let us strangle ourselves; let us eat poison”. In this way, each and every one among the ministers courted death only. Thereupon, the king said thus: “What use is there to me with these? O ministers! Are there my soldiers?” Then the thousand soldiers stood up saying: “O great king! I am the soldier; I am the soldier”.

124.1. The king, saying to himself: “I shall test these soldiers”, set up a huge funeral pile and said; “O my friends! This has been done by me in haste. My ministers blame it; i shall therefore enter the funeral pyre; who is going to enter along with me? With whom is my life to be sacrificed?” On being told thus, five hundred soldiers stood up and said: “O great king! We shall enter the fire”. Thereupon, the king said to the other five hundred thus: “My dears! This is not a manly act; this is womanly conduct; moreover, a messenger had been sent to the rival king by our great king. Those of us will fight with that king and kill him”. Thereupon, the king, saying: “For my sake, you have risked your lives” armed himself by making a battle array of four-divisions, marched on, surrounded by that army of one thousand and sat himself down at the boundary of his kingdom.

124.2. That rival king also, having heard that matter, got offended saying to himself: “Alas! that small sovereign does not proceed from my slave even”, took all his army and went out to give battle. The small sovereign saw his rival king marching against him and said to his body of strong army thus: “My sons! You are not many in number; all of you should combine solidly, take hold of your swords and shields and march simply straight in front of this king swiftly”. They did accordingly. Then, that army of his split in two and provided the chance. They captured that king alive and handed him over to their own king who had arrived and said that he himself would kill his rival. The rival king requested the small sovereign to spare his life. The small sovereign spared the life of his rival king, let the latter take oath of allegiance to him, brought the rival king under his influence, marched on, together with that king to another king, stood at the boundary of the latter's kingdom and sent this message: “Give me either your kingdom or battle”. That king surrendered his kingdom saying: “I am not capable of fighting a single battle even”. By this means the small sovereign captured all the kings and succeeded in seizing in the end the king of Benares also.

124.3. Surrounded by one hundred and one kings, and administering the royal affairs as the sovereign of the entire island of jambu, the former small sovereign thought thus: “Formerly, I was a small sovereign, who has now become the king ruling over the entire region of Jambudīpa, due to my own glory of wisdom? That wisdom of mine, however, is, indeed, associated with material exertion; it is not in any way conducive towards aversion, and freedom from lust (virāga);what if I were to seek the transcendental truth (lokuttara dhamma), with this wisdom.” Subsequently, he handed over his sovereignty to the king of Benares, placed in the latter's charge his own wife, children and district even, abandoned any and every thing, became a monk, began to develop spiritual insight, visualised the silent buddhahood, and uttered this stanza of joyous utterance, illuminating his own attainment of exertion.

124.4. āraddhavīriyo, there, connotes: one, whose exertion has begun to function. By this, he pointed out the state of his own great exertion. Nibbāna is said to be absolutely advantageous benefit (paramattha); paramatthapattiyā, for the attainment of that paramattha (nibbāna); The attainment of best benefit, absolute advantage, is paramatthapatti (attainment of nibbāna). By this, he showed the attainable fruition by means of the effort of exertion. Alīnacitto (sincere minded) connotes: by means of this, he showed the sincerity of his mind and mental characteristics supported by exertion. Akusitavutti (the habit of being never lazy) by this, he showed his bodily offencelessness in such postures as standing, walking and so on. Daḷhanikkamo (firm exertion or endurance); by this, he showed his strenuous exertion which occurred in this way: “Desirably skin and veins”; strenuously exerting this or that amongst or in the successive or gradual training or discipline, “He visualised the exalted noble truth bodily also”; thus, it is said. In other words, by this, he showed his exertion associated with the right path to nibbāna. That also, was firm, as well, because of complete fulfilment of meditative development, (bhāvanā), and endurance also, because of the going out of the opposites (or reverses), in all aspects; therefore, him to whom there is firm endurance as well as the possessing person can be said to be a “daḷhanikkama (firm endurance)”. Thāmabalūpapanno is one who has attained or become possessed of physical strength and intellectual power at the moment of magga. In other words, he became possessor of vigourous strength; he who has attained the strength of steadfast knowledge; thus, is the statement. By this, he proved his association with strenuous effort, illuminating his exertion's association with his knowledge of spiritual insight. The three feet of the stanza should also be interpreted by way of previous, middle and highest exertion. The rest is in the manner aforesaid.

The Commentary on the stanza, starting with āraddhavīriya, has ended.