SN 15.20

Vepullapabbatasutta

Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā rājagahe viharati gijjhakūṭe pabbate. Tatra kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi: “bhikkhavo”ti. “Bhadante”ti te bhikkhū bhagavato paccassosuṁ. Bhagavā etadavoca:

Mount Vepulla

At one time the Buddha was staying near Rājagaha, on the Vulture’s Peak Mountain. There the Buddha addressed the mendicants, “Mendicants!” “Venerable sir,” they replied. The Buddha said this:

“Anamataggoyaṁ, bhikkhave, saṁsāro. Pubbā koṭi na paññāyati avijjānīvaraṇānaṁ sattānaṁ taṇhāsaṁyojanānaṁ sandhāvataṁ saṁsarataṁ. Bhūtapubbaṁ, bhikkhave, imassa vepullassa pabbatassa ‘pācīnavaṁso’tveva samaññā udapādi. Tena kho pana, bhikkhave, samayena manussānaṁ ‘tivarā’tveva samaññā udapādi. Tivarānaṁ, bhikkhave, manussānaṁ cattārīsa vassasahassāni āyuppamāṇaṁ ahosi. Tivarā, bhikkhave, manussā pācīnavaṁsaṁ pabbataṁ catūhena ārohanti, catūhena orohanti. Tena kho pana, bhikkhave, samayena kakusandho bhagavā arahaṁ sammāsambuddho loke uppanno hoti. Kakusandhassa, bhikkhave, bhagavato arahato sammāsambuddhassa vidhurasañjīvaṁ nāma sāvakayugaṁ ahosi aggaṁ bhaddayugaṁ. Passatha, bhikkhave, sā cevimassa pabbatassa samaññā antarahitā, te ca manussā kālaṅkatā, so ca bhagavā parinibbuto. Evaṁ aniccā, bhikkhave, saṅkhārā; evaṁ addhuvā, bhikkhave, saṅkhārā; evaṁ anassāsikā, bhikkhave, saṅkhārā. Yāvañcidaṁ, bhikkhave, alameva sabbasaṅkhāresu nibbindituṁ, alaṁ virajjituṁ, alaṁ vimuccituṁ.

“Mendicants, this transmigration has no known beginning. No first point is found of sentient beings roaming and transmigrating, shrouded by ignorance and fettered by craving. Once upon a time, mendicants, this Mount Vepulla was known as Pācīnavaṁsa. And at that time people were known as Tivaras. The lifespan of the Tivaras was 40,000 years. It took them four days to climb Mount Vepulla, and four days to descend. At that time Kakusandha, the Blessed One, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha arose in the world. Kakusandha had a fine pair of chief disciples named Vidhura and Sañjīva. See, mendicants! This mountain’s name has vanished, those people have passed away, and that Buddha has become fully quenched. So impermanent are conditions, so unstable are conditions, so unreliable are conditions. This is quite enough for you to become disillusioned, dispassionate, and freed regarding all conditions.

Bhūtapubbaṁ, bhikkhave, imassa vepullassa pabbatassa ‘vaṅkako’tveva samaññā udapādi. Tena kho pana, bhikkhave, samayena manussānaṁ ‘rohitassā’tveva samaññā udapādi. Rohitassānaṁ, bhikkhave, manussānaṁ tiṁsavassasahassāni āyuppamāṇaṁ ahosi. Rohitassā, bhikkhave, manussā vaṅkakaṁ pabbataṁ tīhena ārohanti, tīhena orohanti. Tena kho pana, bhikkhave, samayena koṇāgamano bhagavā arahaṁ sammāsambuddho loke uppanno hoti. Koṇāgamanassa, bhikkhave, bhagavato arahato sammāsambuddhassa bhiyyosuttaraṁ nāma sāvakayugaṁ ahosi aggaṁ bhaddayugaṁ. Passatha, bhikkhave, sā cevimassa pabbatassa samaññā antarahitā, te ca manussā kālaṅkatā, so ca bhagavā parinibbuto. Evaṁ aniccā, bhikkhave, saṅkhārā …pe… alaṁ vimuccituṁ.

Once upon a time this Mount Vepulla was known as Vaṅkaka. And at that time people were known as Rohitassas. The lifespan of the Rohitassas was 30,000 years. It took them three days to climb Mount Vepulla, and three days to descend. At that time Koṇāgamana, the Blessed One, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha arose in the world. Koṇāgamana had a fine pair of chief disciples named Bhiyyosa and Uttara. See, mendicants! This mountain’s name has vanished, those people have passed away, and that Buddha has become fully quenched. So impermanent are conditions …

Bhūtapubbaṁ, bhikkhave, imassa vepullassa pabbatassa ‘supasso’tveva samaññā udapādi. Tena kho pana, bhikkhave, samayena manussānaṁ ‘suppiyā’tveva samaññā udapādi. Suppiyānaṁ, bhikkhave, manussānaṁ vīsativassasahassāni āyuppamāṇaṁ ahosi. Suppiyā, bhikkhave, manussā supassaṁ pabbataṁ dvīhena ārohanti, dvīhena orohanti. Tena kho pana, bhikkhave, samayena kassapo bhagavā arahaṁ sammāsambuddho loke uppanno hoti. Kassapassa, bhikkhave, bhagavato arahato sammāsambuddhassa tissabhāradvājaṁ nāma sāvakayugaṁ ahosi aggaṁ bhaddayugaṁ. Passatha, bhikkhave, sā cevimassa pabbatassa samaññā antarahitā, te ca manussā kālaṅkatā, so ca bhagavā parinibbuto. Evaṁ aniccā, bhikkhave, saṅkhārā; evaṁ addhuvā, bhikkhave, saṅkhārā …pe… alaṁ vimuccituṁ.

Once upon a time this Mount Vepulla was known as Supassa. And at that time people were known as Suppiyas. The lifespan of the Suppiyas was 20,000 years. It took them two days to climb Mount Vepulla, and two days to descend. At that time Kassapa, the Blessed One, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha arose in the world. Kassapa had a fine pair of chief disciples named Tissa and Bhāradvāja. See, mendicants! This mountain’s name has vanished, those people have passed away, and that Buddha has become fully quenched. So impermanent are conditions …

Etarahi kho pana, bhikkhave, imassa vepullassa pabbatassa ‘vepullo’tveva samaññā udapādi. Etarahi kho pana, bhikkhave, imesaṁ manussānaṁ ‘māgadhakā’tveva samaññā udapādi. Māgadhakānaṁ, bhikkhave, manussānaṁ appakaṁ āyuppamāṇaṁ parittaṁ lahukaṁ; yo ciraṁ jīvati so vassasataṁ appaṁ vā bhiyyo. Māgadhakā, bhikkhave, manussā vepullaṁ pabbataṁ muhuttena ārohanti muhuttena orohanti. Etarahi kho panāhaṁ, bhikkhave, arahaṁ sammāsambuddho loke uppanno. Mayhaṁ kho pana, bhikkhave, sāriputtamoggallānaṁ nāma sāvakayugaṁ aggaṁ bhaddayugaṁ. Bhavissati, bhikkhave, so samayo yā ayañcevimassa pabbatassa samaññā antaradhāyissati, ime ca manussā kālaṁ karissanti, ahañca parinibbāyissāmi. Evaṁ aniccā, bhikkhave, saṅkhārā; evaṁ addhuvā, bhikkhave, saṅkhārā; evaṁ anassāsikā, bhikkhave, saṅkhārā. Yāvañcidaṁ, bhikkhave, alameva sabbasaṅkhāresu nibbindituṁ, alaṁ virajjituṁ, alaṁ vimuccitun”ti.

These days this Mount Vepulla is known as Vepulla. And these people are known as Magadhans. The lifespan of the Magadhans is short, brief, and fleeting. A long life is a hundred years or a little more. It takes the Magadhans an hour to climb Mount Vepulla, and an hour to descend. And now I am the Blessed One, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha who has arisen in the world. I have a fine pair of chief disciples named Sāriputta and Moggallāna. There will come a time when this mountain’s name will vanish, those people will die, and I will be fully extinguished. So impermanent are conditions, so unstable are conditions, so unreliable are conditions. This is quite enough for you to become disillusioned, dispassionate, and freed regarding all conditions.”

Idamavoca bhagavā. Idaṁ vatvāna sugato athāparaṁ etadavoca satthā:

That is what the Buddha said. Then the Holy One, the Teacher, went on to say:

“Pācīnavaṁso tivarānaṁ, rohitassāna vaṅkako; Suppiyānaṁ supassoti, māgadhānañca vepullo.

“For the Tivaras it was Pācīnavaṁsa, for the Rohitassas, Vaṅkaka, Supassa for the Suppiyas, and Vepulla for the Magadhans.

Aniccā vata saṅkhārā, uppādavayadhammino; Uppajjitvā nirujjhanti, tesaṁ vūpasamo sukho”ti.

Oh! Conditions are impermanent, their nature is to rise and fall; having arisen, they cease; their settling is such bliss.”