[234] "'"Well then, let the worthy Mahāgovinda wait seven years. When seven years have passed, we too shall go forth from the household life into homelessness; and then whatever destiny is yours, that destiny shall be ours."
"Seven years, sirs, is too long; I cannot wait seven years for you. Who indeed, sirs, knows what will befall the living? The hereafter must inevitably be gone to; one must decide by means of wisdom; what is wholesome must be done; the holy life (brahmacariya) must be lived; for one who is born there is no freedom from death. As I have heard from Brahmā as he spoke of the putrid odors (āmagandha), they are not easy to quell for one dwelling in a house. I shall go forth, sirs, from the household life into homelessness."
"Well then, let the worthy Govinda wait six years … let him wait five years. Let him wait four years. Let him wait three years. Let him wait two years. Let him wait one year. When one year has passed, we too shall go forth from the household life into homelessness; and then whatever destiny is yours, that destiny shall be ours."
"One year, sirs, is too long; I cannot wait one year for you. Who indeed, sirs, knows what will befall the living? The hereafter must inevitably be gone to; one must decide by means of wisdom; what is wholesome must be done; the holy life must be lived; for one who is born there is no freedom from death. As I have heard from Brahmā as he spoke of the putrid odors, they are not easy to quell for one dwelling in a house. I shall go forth, sirs, from the household life into homelessness."
"Well then, let the worthy Govinda wait seven months. When seven months have passed, we too shall go forth from the household life into homelessness; and then whatever destiny is yours, that destiny shall be ours."
"Seven months, sirs, is too long; I cannot wait seven months for you. Who indeed, sirs, knows what will befall the living? The hereafter must inevitably be gone to; one must decide by means of wisdom; what is wholesome must be done; the holy life must be lived; for one who is born there is no freedom from death. As I have heard from Brahmā as he spoke of the putrid odors, they are not easy to quell for one dwelling in a house. I shall go forth, sirs, from the household life into homelessness."
"Well then, let the worthy Govinda wait six months. Let him wait five months. Let him wait four months. Let him wait three months. Let him wait two months. Let him wait one month. Let him wait a fortnight. When a fortnight has passed, we too shall go forth from the household life into homelessness; and then whatever destiny is yours, that destiny shall be ours."
"A fortnight, sirs, is too long; I cannot wait a fortnight for you. Who indeed, sirs, knows what will befall the living? The hereafter must inevitably be gone to; one must decide by means of wisdom; what is wholesome must be done; the holy life must be lived; for one who is born there is no freedom from death. As I have heard from Brahmā as he spoke of the putrid odors, they are not easy to quell for one dwelling in a house. I shall go forth, sirs, from the household life into homelessness."
"Well then, let the worthy Govinda wait seven days, until we have instructed our own sons and brothers in kingship. When seven days have passed, we too shall go forth from the household life into homelessness; and then whatever destiny is yours, that destiny shall be ours."
"Seven days, sirs, is not long; I shall wait seven days for you."
Then, sirs, the brahmin Mahāgovinda approached the seven well-to-do brahmins and the seven hundred bathed graduates, and having approached, he said to the seven well-to-do brahmins and the seven hundred bathed graduates: "Let the worthy sirs now seek another teacher who will teach you the hymns. I wish, sirs, to go forth from the household life into homelessness. As I have heard from Brahmā as he spoke of the putrid odors, they are not easy to quell for one dwelling in a house. I shall go forth, sirs, from the household life into homelessness."
"Let the worthy Govinda not go forth from the household life into homelessness! Going forth, sir, is of little power and of little gain; the state of a brahmin is of great power and of great gain."
"Do not, sirs, speak thus; do not, sirs, speak thus — that going forth is of little power and of little gain, and that the state of a brahmin is of great power and of great gain. Who indeed, sirs, other than I is of greater power or of greater gain? For now I am as a king to kings, as Brahmā to brahmins, as a deity to householders. Abandoning all that, I shall go forth from the household life into homelessness. As I have heard from Brahmā as he spoke of the putrid odors, they are not easy to quell for one dwelling in a house. I shall go forth, sirs, from the household life into homelessness."
"If the worthy Govinda will go forth from the household life into homelessness, we too shall go forth from the household life into homelessness; and then whatever destiny is yours, that destiny shall be ours."
Then, sirs, the brahmin Mahāgovinda approached his forty equal wives, and having approached, he said to the forty equal wives: "Whichever lady wishes may return to her own family of kin, or may seek another husband. I wish, ladies, to go forth from the household life into homelessness. As I have heard from Brahmā as he spoke of the putrid odors, they are not easy to quell for one dwelling in a house. I shall go forth, ladies, from the household life into homelessness."
"You alone are the kinsman for us who desire kin; you are the husband for us who desire a husband. If the worthy Govinda, sir, will go forth from the household life into homelessness, we too, sir, shall go forth from the household life into homelessness; and then whatever destiny is yours, that destiny shall be ours."
Then, sirs, when those seven days had passed, the brahmin Mahāgovinda shaved off his hair and beard, put on ochre robes, and went forth from the household life into homelessness. And when the brahmin Mahāgovinda had gone forth, the seven anointed khattiya kings, the seven well-to-do brahmins with the seven hundred bathed graduates, the forty equal wives, many thousands of khattiyas, many thousands of brahmins, many thousands of householders, and many women of the harems shaved off their hair and beards, put on ochre robes, and went forth from the household life into homelessness, following the brahmin Mahāgovinda who had gone forth from the household life into homelessness.
Surrounded, sirs, by that assembly, the brahmin Mahāgovinda wandered on tour among the villages, market towns, and royal capitals. And at that time, sirs, whenever the brahmin Mahāgovinda approached a village or market town, there he was as a king to kings, as Brahmā to brahmins, as a deity to householders. And at that time, sirs, whenever people sneezed or stumbled, they said: "Homage to the brahmin Mahāgovinda! Homage to the high priest of the seven!"
And the brahmin Mahāgovinda dwelt pervading one quarter with a mind imbued with loving-kindness, free from enmity, free from ill will; likewise the second, likewise the third, likewise the fourth. Thus above, below, across, everywhere and to all as to himself, he dwelt pervading the entire world with a mind imbued with loving-kindness — abundant, exalted, immeasurable, free from enmity, free from ill will. With a mind imbued with compassion … with a mind imbued with altruistic joy … with a mind imbued with equanimity … And he taught his disciples the path to companionship in the Brahmā world.
Now at that time, sirs, those disciples of the brahmin Mahāgovinda who understood his teaching in its entirety, at the breaking up of the body, after death, were reborn in a good destination, the Brahmā world. Those who did not understand his teaching in its entirety, at the breaking up of the body, after death — some were reborn in companionship with the Paranimmitavasavattī gods; some were reborn in companionship with the Nimmānaratī gods; some were reborn in companionship with the Tusita gods; some were reborn in companionship with the Yāma gods; some were reborn in companionship with the Tāvatiṃsa gods; some were reborn in companionship with the gods of the Four Great Kings. And those who filled the lowest company of all filled the company of the gandhabbas. Thus indeed the going forth of all those clansmen was not in vain, not barren, but fruitful and productive.'
Does the Blessed One remember this?"
"I remember, Pañcasikha. At that time I myself was the brahmin Mahāgovinda. I taught those disciples that path to companionship in the Brahmā world. But that holy life, Pañcasikha, does not lead to disenchantment, to dispassion, to cessation (nirodha), to peace, to direct knowledge, to full awakening, to Nibbāna; it leads only as far as rebirth in the Brahmā world. But this holy life of mine, Pañcasikha, leads exclusively to disenchantment, to dispassion, to cessation, to peace, to direct knowledge, to full awakening, to Nibbāna. And what, Pañcasikha, is that holy life which leads exclusively to disenchantment, to dispassion, to cessation, to peace, to direct knowledge, to full awakening, to Nibbāna? It is just this noble eightfold path (magga), namely: right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration (samādhi). This indeed, Pañcasikha, is that holy life which leads exclusively to disenchantment, to dispassion, to cessation, to peace, to direct knowledge, to full awakening, to Nibbāna.
Those of my disciples, Pañcasikha, who understand my teaching in its entirety, with the destruction of the taints (āsava), realize for themselves with direct knowledge, in this very life, the taintless liberation of mind and liberation by wisdom, and having entered upon it, they dwell therein. Those who do not understand my teaching in its entirety, with the utter destruction of the five lower fetters, become spontaneously reborn, attaining final Nibbāna there, not subject to returning from that world. Of those who do not understand my teaching in its entirety, some, with the utter destruction of three fetters and the attenuation of lust (rāga), hatred, and delusion, become once-returners who, coming back to this world once only, will make an end of suffering (dukkha). Of those who do not understand my teaching in its entirety, some, with the utter destruction of three fetters, become stream-enterers, not subject to falling into states of woe, fixed in destiny, with full awakening as their destination. Thus indeed, Pañcasikha, the going forth of all these clansmen was not in vain, not barren, but fruitful and productive."
Thus spoke the Blessed One. Delighted, Pañcasikha, son of the gandhabbas, having rejoiced in and approved of the Blessed One's words, paid homage to the Blessed One, circumambulated him keeping his right side towards him, and vanished right there.
The Mahāgovinda Sutta, the sixth, is concluded.
Mahāsamaya Sutta
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.