Commentary one Biography of the thera Rāhula

Stanzas, starting with Padumuttara Bhagavato, constitute the biography of the venerable thera Rāhula. This One also, having done devoted deeds of service towards former excellent Conquerors, accumulating meritorious deeds conducive towards escape from rounds of repeated rebirths (vaṭṭa), was reborn in the house of a family, at the time of the Glorious One, Padumuttara. After having attained the age of intelligence, as and when he listened to the preaching of dhamma by the master, he noticed the Glorious One, placing a bhikkhu, in the topmost position among those who had keen desire for discipline, and himself wishing for that ranking position, performed enormous quantity of such meritorious deeds as: cleaning the monastery, making it shine and so on, and made his self-resolution. Having passed away thence, he wandered about his rounds of repeated rebirths among divine and human beings, enjoyed the prosperity of both varieties, was reborn in the womb of queen Yasodhara, dependent upon our Bodhisatta at the time of the appearance of this Buddha, gained the name of Rāhula, and grew up with a large retinue of princely warriors (khattiya). His renunciation in detail has but come in the Khandhaka division of the Vinaya piṭaka.

He renounced the world, in the presence of the master, gained His advice by means of many a stanza of Sutta, became all round mature in knowledge, made himself mindful of spiritual insight and attained arahatship, he pondered properly upon his own proper attainment and making his achievement of arahatship (aññā) clear, he uttered four stanzas thus:-

“People know me thus: ‘Rāhula bhadda or venerable Rāhula is endowed with both even, namely: that I am the son of Buddha; that I have insight into the truths (dhamma); that my cankers had become exhausted, that there is no more next-existence; I am an arahat worthy of receiving dedicated offering (dakkhiṇa); I am a three-fold super-scientist (tevijjā), who sees the deathless (amata). Sensual pleasures are dark and covered up with nets, roofed over with the roof of craving (taṇhā); bound by the bonds of Māra, relative of negligence, like unto fishes at the mouth of fish-net.’ Having brushed away that sensual pleasure (kāma), I pulled out the craving (taṇhā), together with its root, and I have become cool and with my fires well extinguished, having attained nibbāna.”

There, Ubhaye n'eva sampanno (endowed with both even) endowed with and possessed of both kinds of prosperity namely: prosperity of birth and prosperity of proper attainment; Rāhulabhaddo ti mam vidū (my fellow leaders of noble life know me well as "Rāhulabhaddha);indeed, having heard the message about his birth, Bodhisatta remarked thus: "Rāhu is born, bondage has sprung up"; due to these words spoken by Bodhisatta, the great king Suddhodaba took the name as "Rāhula". Beginning from there, having taken the very nomenclature spoken by the father, he said thus: "Rāhulabhaddo ti mam vidū, they know me as Rāhulabhadda". Bhadda, good, is but a word of praise. Subsequently, the Master placed him at the topmost position due to the condition of his desire for discipline, saying: "O Bhikkhus! Among my disciples of bhikkhus who are desirous of discipline, this One, namely, Rāhula is the chief".

68. having thus attained the topmost ranking position, he remembered his own former deed, became delighted in mind, and uttered a stanza starting with: "Padumuttarassa Bhagavato" in order to make manifest the deeds done by him previously. Sattabhūminhi pāsāde (in the palace of seven storeys). it produces pleasure and mental delight; thus, it is pāsāda (palace) in whichever palace there are seven storeys standing one above the other, that palace is one of seven-storeys; ādāsam santharim aham (I properly spread the mirror) having finished making a mirror-surface, I offered a proper spread to such a personage as the Glorious One, the eldest of the world; I spread properly and offered in His honour; thus, is the meaning.

69. Khīṇāsavasahassehi (with a thousand canker-free arahats) all round mixed up with and surrounded by a thousand arahats; dvipadindo (the ruler of bipeds) upāgami (approached or reached) the Great Sage, the sovereign lord of all two-legged creatures, the big bull of man, arrived at and entered His fragrant chamber, together with them; thus, is the meaning.

70. Virocento gandhak utim (making the fragrant chamber radiant) Devadevo (divine divinity) the divine lord of divine-beings;Narāsabho (the big bull-man) the big-bull of men; abhāsatha (spoke) the Master, the eldest of men, sat Himself down in the midst of the clergy of bhikkhus and spoke (or recited) these stanzas of prophecy; thus, is the connection.

71. Yena yam jotitā seyyā (better brilliant than this) better shining, light-shedding and brilliant than this so-called palace built by the devotee; ādāscva (like a mirror) like unto the surface of a mirror made of copper mineral; santhata (proper-spread) having made even properly; tam (him) the devotee; kittayissāmi (I shall announce) I shall make manifest; thus, is the meaning. The rest is but easily comprehensible.

81. Aṭhānametam yamtādi (this is such that it is out of place) tādi is one who is such that under whatsoever circumstances, he would naturally be unshaken amidst such diversities as desirables and undesirables; agāre (in the house) in the household life;ratim (joy) the state of attachment; ajjhagā (gone into) arrived; etam (this) this cause is out of place, not to be done, unreasonable; thus, is the meaning.

82. Nikkhamitvā agārasmā (having gone out of the house) having gone out the household life, and all-round discarded it like a tuft of grass; subbato (properly dutiful) well-disciplined, he will renounce the world and become a monk; Rāhulo nāma nāmena (known by the name of Rāhula) having heard the message about the birth of the prince sent by the great king Suddhodana, because of the name told by his father Siddhattha thus: "Rāhu (saturn) is born, a bondage has sprung up", he was named Rāhula; thus, is the meaning. It should be observed thus:- "Just as rāhu (saturn) king of titans, asurinda approaching goes by making dimming impurity to the light of the mansion of sun and moon, exactly in the same way he was born as if making interruption to my great renunciation and becoming a monk, etc." Arahā so bhavissati (he will become an arahat) he will become like you, endowed with sufficing qualification for arahatship, keenly devoted to development of spiritual insight and he will become a canker-free arahat; thus, is the meaning.

83. kikīva aṇḍam rakkheyya (like a hen, which would look after her eggs) similar to the hen-bird looking after her seed-egg, one should look after his moral precept diligently; cāmarī viya vāladhi (the tail like yak) similar to cāmarī meeting death (or being ready to die) without pulling out its tail entangling amidst thorns for fear of breakage, in looking after its tail, one should look after his moral precepts without having broken it after sacrificing his life all round;nipako sīlasampanno (mature and endowed with moral precepts) maturity is said to be knowledge, endowed with that maturity is said to be knowledge, endowed with that maturity of knowledge, is nipaka (maturity) he will become endowed with moral precept because of looking after it by not causing it to reach the state of breakage and leakage; thus, that Glorious One made His prophesy in this manner. Having attained the fruition of arahatship in this way, he, seated one day on a secluded spot uttered this stanza starting with evam rakkhim mahāmuni: it is easy of comprehension.

The Commentary on the Biography of the thera Rāhula has ended.