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One should not go about attended by a group: the mind becomes distracted, and concentration (samādhi) is hard to gain; caring for all sorts of people is hardship — seeing this, one should not look with favor on a group.
A sage should not frequent families: the mind becomes distracted, and concentration is hard to gain. Eager and greedy for flavors, he misses the goal that brings happiness.
For they have declared it a mire — this homage and worship among families; a subtle dart, hard to overcome: honor is hard for a base man to give up.
Coming down from my lodging, I entered the city for alms; where a leper sat eating, I respectfully attended upon him.
With his festering hand he offered me a morsel; and as he dropped the morsel in, his finger too broke off right there.
Leaning by the foot of a wall, I ate that morsel; while it was being eaten and when it had been eaten, no disgust was found in me.
Scraps of alms for food, putrid urine for medicine, the root of a tree for lodging, a rag-robe for a garment: whoever has mastered these is indeed a man of the four quarters.
Where some are worn out even as they climb the rocky height, there Kassapa, heir of the Buddha, clearly comprehending (sampajāno) and mindful (patissato), sustained by the force of psychic power (iddhi), climbs up.
Returned from the alms-round, having climbed the crag, Kassapa meditates without clinging (anupādāna), having abandoned fear and dread.
Returned from the alms-round, having climbed the crag, Kassapa meditates without clinging, quenched while [all around] are burning.
Returned from the alms-round, having climbed the crag, Kassapa meditates without clinging, his task accomplished, free of taints (āsava).
Strewn with garlands of kareri trees, these stretches of earth ravish the mind; echoing with elephant calls, delightful — those rocky crags delight me.
Hued like dark rain-clouds, glistening, cooled by waters, their streams pure, mantled with crimson indagopaka insects — those rocky crags delight me.
Like the peaks of dark clouds, like the finest of gabled mansions, echoing with tuskers, delightful — those rocky crags delight me.
Rained upon, their surfaces lovely, mountains resorted to by seers, ringing with the cries of peacocks — those rocky crags delight me.
They are enough for me, desiring to meditate, resolute and mindful; enough for me, a bhikkhu desiring the goal, resolute; enough for me, desiring comfort, resolute, in training; enough for me, desiring [meditative] endeavor (yoga), resolute, such a one (tādin) as I am.
Like flax-flowers in hue, mantled over with the clouds of the sky, thronged with flocks of many kinds of birds — those rocky crags delight me.
Uncrowded by householders, frequented by herds of deer, thronged with flocks of many kinds of birds — those rocky crags delight me.
With clear waters and broad boulders, haunted by langurs and deer, covered over with watery moss — those rocky crags delight me.
Not from fivefold instrumental music does such delight come to me as there is when, the mind (citta) one-pointed, one rightly sees the Dhamma with insight.
One should not take on much work; one should avoid people and not exert oneself. Eager and greedy for flavors, one misses the goal that brings happiness.
One should not take on much work; one should avoid this, which is contrary to the goal. The body is strained and grows weary; suffering, one finds no calm (samatha).
By the mere flapping of the lips one does not see even oneself; one goes about stiff [with conceit], thinking, 'I am better.'
Not better, the fool fancies himself the equal of the better; the wise do not praise him, that man of rigid mind.
But whoever is not shaken among the modes [of conceit] — 'I am better,' or again 'I am not better,' 'I am worse,' or 'I am equal' —
wise, true to his word, well composed in the virtues, devoted to calm of mind: him indeed the wise praise.
One in whom no respect for his fellows in the holy life is found is as far from the true Dhamma (saddhamma) as earth from sky.
But those in whom moral shame (hiri) and moral dread (ottappa) are always rightly established, whose holy life has come to growth — for them renewed existence is destroyed.
A restless, fickle bhikkhu, though wrapped in a rag-robe, does not shine thereby — like a monkey in a lion's skin.
Not restless, not fickle, prudent, his faculties restrained, he shines in the rag-robe like a lion in a mountain cave.
These very many deities, possessed of psychic power, glorious — ten thousand deities, all of Brahmā's retinue (brahmakāyikā) — stand with palms joined in reverence, paying homage to Sāriputta, general of the Dhamma, the wise, the great meditator, concentrated:
"Homage to you, thoroughbred of men! Homage to you, supreme among men! That in dependence upon which you meditate — we do not comprehend it.
Wonderful indeed is the profound domain that belongs to the Buddhas; we do not comprehend it, though we have come together [keen enough] to split a hair."
Seeing Sāriputta then — worthy of worship, worshipped thus by the hosts of gods — a smile arose in Kappina.
Throughout the whole Buddha-field, setting aside the Great Sage alone, I am the distinguished one in the ascetic qualities (dhutaguṇa); an equal of mine is not found.
The Teacher has been served by me; the Buddha's teaching (sāsana) has been fulfilled; the heavy burden has been laid down; the conduit to existence (bhavanetti) has been uprooted.
Gotama the immeasurable is not soiled by robe, by bed, or by food, as a spotless lotus blossom is unsoiled by water; bent upon renunciation (nekkhamma), he has escaped from the three states of existence.
That Great Sage has the establishments of mindfulness (satipaṭṭhāna) for his neck, faith for his hands, wisdom for his head; possessed of great knowledge (ñāṇa), he fares ever quenched.
The Elder Mahākassapa.
Summary (Uddāna):
In the Chapter of the Forties: the elder named Mahākassapa — one elder only; and the verses are forty and two.
The Chapter of the Forties is concluded.
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The Chapter of the Fifties of the Theragāthā
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.