Commentary of Biography of the thera Sucintita

Stanzas, starting with Giriduggacano āsim constitute the biography of the venerable thera Sucintita. This one also having done devoted service toward former Buddhas, accumulating meritorious deeds conducive towards escape from the rounds of repeated rebirths (vaṭṭa) in this and that existence, was reborn in the family of a hunter in the region of Himavanta at the time of the Glorious One Atthadassī and lived by killing and eating deer, hog and so on. At that time, the Leader of the world went to Himavanta in connection with the uplift of the world, and His sympathy with creatures. Then that hunter met the Glorious One!, became pleasingly piousminded, and offered excellent relishing meat brought for his own eating. The Glorious One accepted the offering out of compassion for him; He ate that meat, said words of thanks and made His departure. On account of that self-same act of merit and that very pleasingly piousmindedness, he passed away thence, wandered about his rounds of rebirths, in good courses (sugatesu, in excellent existences), enjoyed the prosperity of six stages of the divine world of sensual pleasures, experienced among men such sorts of prosperity as a world-king's and so on, was reborn in a family house when this Buddha arose; became to have pleasingly pious faith in the Master, renounced the world and before long even, became an arahat,

36. Having attained such distinguished attainment as the four kinds of analytical knowledge and five kinds of super (or higher) knowledge, he recollected his own former deed, became delighted and uttered a stanza, starting with gigiduggacaro āsim in order to make manifest the deed done by him formerly. It echoes and makes sound; thus, giri (hill); what is that? It is the hill made up of stone and earth; going with difficulty and distress is dugga (difficult going); hard going with hills is giridugga, the hill difficult to negotiate; hard-going; thus, is the meaning. I was a wanderer in the hills, the difficult-going hills and practiser of moral precepts. Abhijāto va kesarī (like the distinctly-born lion), I wandered about in the difficult-going hills resembling a maned lion, born and sprung up with distinction; thus, is the meaning.

40. Giriduggam pavisim aham (I entered the difficult-going hill) I then became pleasureminded and full of zest (pīti) with that offering of meat, entered the inner section of the hill. The rest is but easy in meaning.

The commentary on the biography of the thera Sucintita has ended.