Ādittasutta — Reader

On Fire

Ādittasutta

So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. Then, late at night, a glorious deity, lighting up the entire Jeta’s Grove, went up to the Buddha, bowed, stood to one side, and recited these verses in the Buddha’s presence:

Evaṁ me sutaṁ— ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme. Atha kho aññatarā devatā abhikkantāya rattiyā abhikkantavaṇṇā kevalakappaṁ jetavanaṁ obhāsetvā yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ aṭṭhāsi. Ekamantaṁ ṭhitā kho sā devatā bhagavato santike imā gāthāyo abhāsi:

“When your house is on fire, you rescue the pot that’s useful, not the one that’s burnt.

“Ādittasmiṁ agārasmiṁ, yaṁ nīharati bhājanaṁ; Taṁ tassa hoti atthāya, no ca yaṁ tattha ḍayhati.

And as the world is on fire with old age and death, you should rescue by giving, for what’s given is rescued.

Evaṁ ādittako loko, jarāya maraṇena ca; Nīharetheva dānena, dinnaṁ hoti sunīhataṁ.

What’s given has happiness as its fruit, but not what isn’t given. Bandits take it, or rulers, it’s consumed by fire, or lost.

Dinnaṁ sukhaphalaṁ hoti, nādinnaṁ hoti taṁ tathā; Corā haranti rājāno, aggi ḍahati nassati.

Then in the end this corpse is cast off, along with all your possessions. Knowing this, an intelligent person would enjoy what they have and also give it away.

Atha antena jahati, Sarīraṁ sapariggahaṁ; Etadaññāya medhāvī, Bhuñjetha ca dadetha ca;

After giving and using according to their means, blameless, they go to a heavenly place.”

Datvā ca bhutvā ca yathānubhāvaṁ, Anindito saggamupeti ṭhānan”ti.