SN 11.1

Suvīrasutta

Evaṁ me sutaṁ— ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme. Tatra kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi: “bhikkhavo”ti. “Bhadante”ti te bhikkhū bhagavato paccassosuṁ. Bhagavā etadavoca:

With Suvīra

So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. There the Buddha addressed the mendicants, “Mendicants!” “Venerable sir,” they replied. The Buddha said this:

“Bhūtapubbaṁ, bhikkhave, asurā deve abhiyaṁsu. Atha kho, bhikkhave, sakko devānamindo suvīraṁ devaputtaṁ āmantesi: ‘ete, tāta suvīra, asurā deve abhiyanti. Gaccha, tāta suvīra, asure paccuyyāhī’ti. ‘Evaṁ, bhaddantavā’ti kho, bhikkhave, suvīro devaputto sakkassa devānamindassa paṭissutvā pamādaṁ āpādesi. Dutiyampi kho, bhikkhave, sakko devānamindo suvīraṁ devaputtaṁ āmantesi: ‘ete, tāta suvīra, asurā deve abhiyanti. Gaccha, tāta suvīra, asure paccuyyāhī’ti. ‘Evaṁ, bhaddantavā’ti kho, bhikkhave, suvīro devaputto sakkassa devānamindassa paṭissutvā dutiyampi pamādaṁ āpādesi. Tatiyampi kho, bhikkhave, sakko devānamindo suvīraṁ devaputtaṁ āmantesi: ‘ete, tāta suvīra, asurā deve abhiyanti. Gaccha, tāta suvīra, asure paccuyyāhī’ti. ‘Evaṁ, bhaddantavā’ti kho, bhikkhave, suvīro devaputto sakkassa devānamindassa paṭissutvā tatiyampi pamādaṁ āpādesi. Atha kho, bhikkhave, sakko devānamindo suvīraṁ devaputtaṁ gāthāya ajjhabhāsi:

“Once upon a time, mendicants, the titans marched against the gods. Then Sakka, lord of gods, addressed the godling Suvīra, ‘Dear Suvīra, the titans march against the gods! Go, and march against the titans!’ ‘Yes, lord,’ replied Suvīra. But he fell into negligence. For a second time Sakka addressed Suvīra, ‘Dear Suvīra, the titans march against the gods! Go, and march against the titans!’ ‘Yes, lord,’ replied Suvīra. But for a second time he fell into negligence. For a third time Sakka addressed Suvīra, ‘Dear Suvīra, the titans march against the gods! Go, and march against the titans!’ ‘Yes, lord,’ replied Suvīra. But for a third time he fell into negligence. Then Sakka addressed the godling Suvīra in verse:

‘Anuṭṭhahaṁ avāyāmaṁ, sukhaṁ yatrādhigacchati; Suvīra tattha gacchāhi, mañca tattheva pāpayā’ti.

‘Suvīra, go to that place where you can achieve happiness without working for it or trying hard— and take me with you!’

‘Alasvassa anuṭṭhātā, na ca kiccāni kāraye; Sabbakāmasamiddhassa, taṁ me sakka varaṁ disā’ti.

‘That a lazy man who does no work, and doesn’t do his duty, can fulfill all his desires: Sakka, render me this boon!’

‘Yatthālaso anuṭṭhātā, accantaṁ sukhamedhati; Suvīra tattha gacchāhi, mañca tattheva pāpayā’ti.

‘Suvīra, go to that place where a lazy man who does no work prospers in unending happiness— and take me with you!’

‘Akammunā devaseṭṭha, sakka vindemu yaṁ sukhaṁ; Asokaṁ anupāyāsaṁ, taṁ me sakka varaṁ disā’ti.

‘O Sakka, first among gods, that we might find the happiness that’s sorrowless, unstressed: Sakka, render me this boon!’

‘Sace atthi akammena, koci kvaci na jīvati; Nibbānassa hi so maggo, suvīra tattha gacchāhi; Mañca tattheva pāpayā’ti.

‘If there exists anywhere a place where one can live happily without working, that surely would be extinguishment’s path! Go there, Suvīra, and take me with you!’

So hi nāma, bhikkhave, sakko devānamindo sakaṁ puññaphalaṁ upajīvamāno devānaṁ tāvatiṁsānaṁ issariyādhipaccaṁ rajjaṁ kārento uṭṭhānavīriyassa vaṇṇavādī bhavissati. Idha kho taṁ, bhikkhave, sobhetha, yaṁ tumhe evaṁ svākkhāte dhammavinaye pabbajitā samānā uṭṭhaheyyātha ghaṭeyyātha vāyameyyātha appattassa pattiyā anadhigatassa adhigamāya, asacchikatassa sacchikiriyāyā”ti.

Since, mendicants, even that Sakka, lord of gods—while living off of the fruit of his good deeds, and ruling as sovereign lord over these gods of the thirty-three—will speak in praise of initiative and energy, you can excel at this, for you who have gone forth in such a well explained teaching and training can try hard, strive, and make an effort to attain the unattained, achieve the unachieved, and realize the unrealized.”