The Garden of Delight

Nandanasutta

The Garden of Delight

Nandanasutta

EN
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!”
PL
Evaṁ me sutaṁ— ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme. Tatra kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi: “bhikkhavo”ti.
EN
“Venerable sir,” they replied. The Buddha said this: “Once upon a time, mendicants, a certain deity of the company of the thirty-three was amusing themselves in the Garden of Delight, escorted by a band of nymphs, and supplied and provided with the five kinds of heavenly sensual stimulation. On that occasion she spoke this verse: ‘They don’t know pleasure
PL
“Bhadante”ti te bhikkhū bhagavato paccassosuṁ. Bhagavā etadavoca: “Bhūtapubbaṁ, bhikkhave, aññatarā tāvatiṁsakāyikā devatā nandane vane accharāsaṅghaparivutā dibbehi pañcahi kāmaguṇehi samappitā samaṅgībhūtā paricārayamānā tāyaṁ velāyaṁ imaṁ gāthaṁ abhāsi: ‘Na te sukhaṁ pajānanti,
EN
who don’t see the Garden of Delight! It’s the abode of lordly gods, the glorious host of Thirty!’ When they had spoken, another deity replied with this verse:
PL
ye na passanti nandanaṁ; Āvāsaṁ naradevānaṁ, tidasānaṁ yasassinan’ti. Evaṁ vutte, bhikkhave, aññatarā devatā taṁ devataṁ gāthāya paccabhāsi:
EN
‘Fool, don’t you understand the saying of the perfected ones: All conditions are impermanent, their nature is to rise and fall;
PL
‘Na tvaṁ bāle pajānāsi, yathā arahataṁ vaco; Aniccā sabbasaṅkhārā, uppādavayadhammino;
EN
having arisen, they cease; their settling is such bliss.’”
PL
Uppajjitvā nirujjhanti, tesaṁ vūpasamo sukho’”ti.

Pāli root text and English translation by Bhikkhu Sujato from SuttaCentral (https://suttacentral.net), CC0.

Source