The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha - Bhikkhu Nanamoli [232]
When this was said, the householder Upāli rose from his seat, and arranging his upper robe on one shoulder, [386] he extended his hands in reverential salutation in the direction of the Blessed One and told the Nigaṇṭha Nātaputta:
29. “In that case, venerable sir, hear whose disciple I am:
He is the Wise One who has cast off delusion,
abandoned the heart’s wilderness,591 victor in battle;
He knows no anguish, is perfectly even-minded,
mature in virtue, of excellent wisdom;
Beyond all temptations,592 he is without stain:
The Blessed One is he, and I am his disciple.
Free from perplexity, he abides contented,
spurning worldly gains, a vessel of gladness;
A human being who has done the recluse’s duty,
a man who bears his final body;
He is utterly peerless and utterly spotless:
The Blessed One is he, and I am his disciple.
He is free from doubt and skilful,
the discipliner and excellent leader.
None can surpass his resplendent qualities;
without hesitation, he is the illuminator;
Having severed conceit, he is the hero:
The Blessed One is he, and I am his disciple.
The leader of the herd, he cannot be measured,
his depths are unfathomed, he attained to the silence;593
Provider of safety, possessor of knowledge,
he stands in the Dhamma, inwardly restrained;
Having overcome all bondage, he is liberated:
The Blessed One is he, and I am his disciple.
The immaculate tusker, living in remoteness,
with fetters all shattered, fully freed;
Skilled in discussion, imbued with wisdom,
his banner lowered,594 he no longer lusts;
Having tamed himself, he no more proliferates:595
The Blessed One is he, and I am his disciple.
The best of seers,596 with no deceptive schemes,
gained the triple knowledge, attained to holiness;
His heart cleansed, a master of discourse,
he lives ever tranquil, the finder of knowledge;
The first of all givers, he is ever capable:
The Blessed One is he, and I am his disciple.
He is the Noble One, developed in mind,
who has gained the goal and expounds the truth;
Endowed with mindfulness and penetrative insight,
he leans neither forwards nor back;597
Free from perturbation, attained to mastery:
The Blessed One is he, and I am his disciple.
He has fared rightly and abides in meditation,
inwardly undefiled, in purity perfect;
He is independent and altogether fearless,598
living secluded, attained to the summit;
Having crossed over himself, he leads us across:
The Blessed One is he, and I am his disciple.
Of supreme serenity, with extensive wisdom,
a man of great wisdom, devoid of all greed;
He is the Tathāgata, he is the Sublime One,
the person unrivalled, the one without equal;
He is intrepid, proficient in all:
The Blessed One is he, and I am his disciple.
He has severed craving and become the Enlightened One,
cleared of all fumes, completely untainted;
Most worthy of gifts, most mighty of spirits,
most perfect of persons, beyond estimation;
The greatest in grandeur, attained the peak of glory:
The Blessed One is he, and I am his disciple.”
30. “When did you concoct that hymn of praise to the recluse Gotama, householder?”
“Venerable sir, suppose there were a great heap of many kinds of flowers, [387] and then a clever garland-maker or garland-maker’s apprentice were to knot them into a multicoloured garland; so too, venerable sir, the Blessed One has many praiseworthy qualities, many hundreds of praiseworthy qualities. Who, venerable sir, would not praise the praiseworthy?”
31. Then, since the Nigaṇṭha Nātaputta was unable to bear this honour done to the Blessed One, hot blood then and there gushed from his mouth.599
Kukkuravatika Sutta
The Dog-Duty Ascetic
1. THUS HAVE I HEARD. On one occasion the Blessed One was living in the Koliyan country where there was a town of the Koliyans named Haliddavasana.
2. Then Puṇṇa, son of the Koliyans, an ox-duty ascetic,