AN 8.49

Paṭhamaidhalokikasutta

Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati pubbārāme migāramātupāsāde. Atha kho visākhā migāramātā yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami …pe…. Ekamantaṁ nisinnaṁ kho visākhaṁ migāramātaraṁ bhagavā etadavoca:

Winning in This Life (1st)

At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in the stilt longhouse of Migāra’s mother in the Eastern Monastery. Then Visākhā, Migāra’s mother, went up to the Buddha, bowed, and sat down to one side. The Buddha said to her:

“Catūhi kho, visākhe, dhammehi samannāgato mātugāmo idhalokavijayāya paṭipanno hoti, ayaṁsa loko āraddho hoti. Katamehi catūhi? Idha, visākhe, mātugāmo susaṁvihitakammanto hoti, saṅgahitaparijano, bhattu manāpaṁ carati, sambhataṁ anurakkhati.

“Visākhā, a lady who has four qualities is practicing to win in this life, and she succeeds at it. What four? It’s when a lady is well-organized at work, manages the domestic help, acts lovingly toward her husband, and preserves his earnings.

Kathañca, visākhe, mātugāmo susaṁvihitakammanto hoti? Idha, visākhe, mātugāmo ye te bhattu abbhantarā kammantā—uṇṇāti vā kappāsāti vā—tattha dakkhā hoti analasā tatrupāyāya vīmaṁsāya samannāgatā alaṁ kātuṁ alaṁ saṁvidhātuṁ. Evaṁ kho, visākhe, mātugāmo susaṁvihitakammanto hoti.

And how is a lady well-organized at work? It’s when she’s deft and tireless in doing domestic duties for her husband, such as knitting and sewing. She understands how to go about things in order to complete and organize the work. That’s how a lady is well-organized at work.

Kathañca, visākhe, mātugāmo saṅgahitaparijano hoti? Idha, visākhe, mātugāmo yo so bhattu abbhantaro antojano—dāsāti vā pessāti vā kammakarāti vā— tesaṁ katañca katato jānāti akatañca akatato jānāti, gilānakānañca balābalaṁ jānāti khādanīyaṁ bhojanīyañcassa paccaṁsena saṁvibhajati. Evaṁ kho, visākhe, mātugāmo saṅgahitaparijano hoti.

And how does a lady manage the domestic help? It’s when she knows what work her husband’s domestic bondservants, servants, and workers have completed, and what they’ve left incomplete. She knows who is sick, and who is fit or unwell. She distributes to each a fair portion of fresh and cooked foods. That’s how a lady manages the domestic help.

Kathañca, visākhe, mātugāmo bhattu manāpaṁ carati? Idha, visākhe, mātugāmo yaṁ bhattu amanāpasaṅkhātaṁ taṁ jīvitahetupi na ajjhācarati. Evaṁ kho, visākhe, mātugāmo bhattu manāpaṁ carati.

And how does a lady act lovingly toward her husband? It’s when a lady would not transgress in any way that her husband would not consider agreeable, even for the sake of her own life. That’s how a lady acts lovingly toward her husband.

Kathañca, visākhe, mātugāmo sambhataṁ anurakkhati? Idha, visākhe, mātugāmo yaṁ bhattā āharati dhanaṁ vā dhaññaṁ vā rajataṁ vā jātarūpaṁ vā taṁ ārakkhena guttiyā sampādeti, tattha ca hoti adhuttī athenī asoṇḍī avināsikā. Evaṁ kho, visākhe, mātugāmo sambhataṁ anurakkhati. Imehi kho, visākhe, catūhi dhammehi samannāgato mātugāmo idhalokavijayāya paṭipanno hoti, ayaṁsa loko āraddho hoti.

And how does a lady preserve his earnings? It’s when she ensures that any income her husband earns is guarded and protected, whether money, grain, silver, or gold. She doesn’t overspend, steal, waste, or lose it. That’s how a lady preserves his earnings. A lady who possesses these four qualities is practicing to win in this life, and she succeeds at it.

Catūhi kho, visākhe, dhammehi samannāgato mātugāmo paralokavijayāya paṭipanno hoti, paraloko āraddho hoti. Katamehi catūhi? Idha, visākhe, mātugāmo saddhāsampanno hoti, sīlasampanno hoti, cāgasampanno hoti, paññāsampanno hoti.

A lady who has four qualities is practicing to win in the next life, and she succeeds at it. What four? It’s when a lady is accomplished in faith, ethics, generosity, and wisdom.

Kathañca, visākhe, mātugāmo saddhāsampanno hoti? Idha, visākhe, mātugāmo saddho hoti, saddahati tathāgatassa bodhiṁ: ‘itipi so bhagavā arahaṁ sammāsambuddho vijjācaraṇasampanno sugato lokavidū anuttaro purisadammasārathi satthā devamanussānaṁ buddho bhagavā’ti. Evaṁ kho, visākhe, mātugāmo saddhāsampanno hoti.

And how is a lady accomplished in faith? It’s when a lady has faith in the Realized One’s awakening: ‘That Blessed One is perfected, a fully awakened Buddha, accomplished in knowledge and conduct, holy, knower of the world, supreme guide for those fit for training, teacher of gods and humans, awakened, blessed.’ That’s how a lady is accomplished in faith.

Kathañca, visākhe, mātugāmo sīlasampanno hoti? Idha, visākhe, mātugāmo pāṇātipātā paṭivirato hoti …pe… surāmerayamajjapamādaṭṭhānā paṭivirato hoti. Evaṁ kho, visākhe, mātugāmo sīlasampanno hoti.

And how is a lady accomplished in ethics? It’s when a lady doesn’t kill living creatures, steal, commit sexual misconduct, lie, or consume intoxicants of beer, wine, and liquor. That’s how a lady is accomplished in ethics.

Kathañca, visākhe, mātugāmo cāgasampanno hoti? Idha, visākhe, mātugāmo vigatamalamaccherena cetasā agāraṁ ajjhāvasati muttacāgā payatapāṇinī vossaggaratā yācayogā dānasaṁvibhāgaratā. Evaṁ kho, visākhe, mātugāmo cāgasampanno hoti.

And how is a lady accomplished in generosity? It’s when she lives at home with heart rid of the stain of stinginess, freely generous, open-handed, loving to let go, committed to charity, loving to give and to share. That’s how a lady is accomplished in generosity.

Kathañca, visākhe, mātugāmo paññāsampanno hoti? Idha, visākhe, mātugāmo paññavā hoti …pe… evaṁ kho, visākhe, mātugāmo paññāsampanno hoti.

And how is a lady accomplished in wisdom? It’s when a lady is wise. She has the wisdom of arising and passing away which is noble, penetrative, and leads to the complete ending of suffering. That’s how a lady is accomplished in wisdom.

Imehi kho, visākhe, catūhi dhammehi samannāgato mātugāmo paralokavijayāya paṭipanno hoti, paraloko āraddho hotīti.

A lady who possesses these four qualities is practicing to win in the next life, and she succeeds at it.

Susaṁvihitakammantā, saṅgahitaparijjanā; Bhattu manāpaṁ carati, sambhataṁ anurakkhati.

She’s organized at work, and manages the domestic help. She’s agreeable to her husband, and preserves his wealth.

Saddhā sīlena sampannā, vadaññū vītamaccharā; Niccaṁ maggaṁ visodheti, sotthānaṁ samparāyikaṁ.

Faithful, accomplished in ethics, bountiful, rid of stinginess, she always purifies the path to well-being in lives to come.

Iccete aṭṭha dhammā ca, yassā vijjanti nāriyā; Tampi sīlavatiṁ āhu, dhammaṭṭhaṁ saccavādiniṁ.

And so, a lady in whom these eight qualities are found is known as virtuous, firmly principled, and truthful.

Soḷasākārasampannā, Aṭṭhaṅgasusamāgatā; Tādisī sīlavatī upāsikā, Upapajjati devalokaṁ manāpan”ti.

Accomplished in sixteen respects, complete with the eight factors, a virtuous laywoman such as she is reborn in the realm of the Agreeable Gods.”