Apadana commentary (Atthakatha)

by U Lu Pe Win | 216,848 words

This is the English translation of the commentary on the Apadana (Atthakatha), also known as the Visuddhajana-Vilasini. The Buddhist stories known as apadanas refer to biographies of Buddhas, Buddhist monks and nuns. They are found in the Pali Canon (Khuddaka Nikaya), which is the primary canon of Theravada Buddhism. Alternative titles: Visuddhaja...

Commentary on the stanza beginning with iti (there)

107. What is the origin of the stanza beginning with ītīca? It is said that a sore sprang up to the King in Benares. Severe pain developed. Medical men declared: “Without surgical operation, there is no cure”. The king gave those doctors safety and let them do the surgical operation. They split open the sore, removed pus and bad blood, made the patient painless, and bandaged the sore-spot with a piece of cloth. They gave him proper medical advice with regard meagre meat nourishment. The king became thin in body on account of meagre diet. His sore, however, subsided. After he had become conscious of cure and comfort, the king ate fatty food. Becoming strong because of it, the king indulged in it even predominantly. His sore reached back its previous condition. In this way, he had himself operated upon thrice and when avoided by doctors, the king became disgusted, abdicated his high sovereignty, became a recluse, entered the forest, began to develop spiritual insight, visualised silent buddhahood within seven years, recited this stanza of joyous utterance and went to the Nanadamūlaka cave.

107.1. Īti, there, connotes: he comes. This term is applied to guests, who are sharers of evil deeds, and instrumental for ruin. There the strands of sensual pleasure (kāmaguṇa), also, can be said to be īti (he comes) because it promotes much ruin, as well as the coming together of disadvantages. The sore also sheds impurity; it becomes swollen, thoroughly ripe and entirely broken up. Therefore, these are saṇḍho (sore) due to the shedding of impure depravity (kilesa), as well as due to being entirely broken up after having swelled up and completely ripened on account of breakage of old age that had arisen. It annoys; thus, it is upaddava (misfortune) promoting disadvantage, it overwhelms and pervades; thus, is the meaning. This is the term for the sores of lust and so on. Why? These strands of sensual pleasures, though, they are misfortune (upaddava), because of the fact of being the cause towards not being conducive to the welfare of the unknown (nibbāna), and also because of the fact that they are the all-round basis for all annoying actions. Since, however, these, producing the condition of being afflicted with depravity (kilesa), or causing repeated plundering over the health, reckoned as moral precept, ruin the very normal health. Therefore, it is roga (ailment) with this meaning of ruining health. It salla (thorn) however, with the meaning of having entered right within, as well as with the meaning of piercing inside also with the meaning of being difficult to remove. It is bhava (danger) from being borne by fear in the present and future existence; Metam is: this to me. The rest here is obvious. The conclusion also is to be understood in the self-same manner as said previously.

The Commentary on the stanza beginning with Iti, has ended.

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