Visākhasutta — Reader

With Visākha, Pañcāli’s Son

Visākhasutta

At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. Now at that time Venerable Visākha, Pañcāli’s son, was educating, encouraging, firing up, and inspiring the mendicants in the assembly hall with a Dhamma talk. His words were polished, clear, articulate, expressing the meaning, comprehensive, and independent.

Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme. Tena kho pana samayena āyasmā visākho pañcālaputto upaṭṭhānasālāyaṁ bhikkhū dhammiyā kathāya sandasseti samādapeti samuttejeti sampahaṁseti, poriyā vācāya vissaṭṭhāya anelagalāya atthassa viññāpaniyā pariyāpannāya anissitāya.

Then in the late afternoon, the Buddha came out of retreat and went to the assembly hall. He sat down on the seat spread out, and addressed the mendicants: “Mendicants, who was educating, encouraging, firing up, and inspiring the mendicants in the assembly hall with a Dhamma talk?”

Atha kho bhagavā sāyanhasamayaṁ paṭisallānā vuṭṭhito yena upaṭṭhānasālā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā paññatte āsane nisīdi. Nisajja kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi: “Ko nu kho, bhikkhave, upaṭṭhānasālāyaṁ bhikkhū dhammiyā kathāya sandasseti samādapeti samuttejeti sampahaṁseti poriyā vācāya vissaṭṭhāya anelagalāya atthassa viññāpaniyā pariyāpannāya anissitāyā”ti?

“Sir, it was Venerable Visākha, Pañcāli’s son.” Then the Buddha said to Visākha, “Good, good, Visākha!

“Āyasmā, bhante, visākho pañcālaputto upaṭṭhānasālāyaṁ bhikkhū dhammiyā kathāya sandasseti samādapeti samuttejeti sampahaṁseti poriyā vācāya vissaṭṭhāya anelagalāya atthassa viññāpaniyā pariyāpannāya anissitāyā”ti. Atha kho bhagavā āyasmantaṁ visākhaṁ pañcālaputtaṁ etadavoca: “sādhu sādhu, visākha.

It’s good that you educate, encourage, fire up, and inspire the mendicants in the assembly hall with a Dhamma talk, with words that are polished, clear, articulate, expressing the meaning, comprehensive, and independent. Though an astute person is mixed up with fools, they don’t know unless he speaks. But when he speaks they know,

Sādhu kho tvaṁ, visākha, bhikkhū dhammiyā kathāya sandassesi samādapesi samuttejesi sampahaṁsesi poriyā vācāya vissaṭṭhāya anelagalāya atthassa viññāpaniyā pariyāpannāya anissitāyāti. Nābhāsamānaṁ jānanti, missaṁ bālehi paṇḍitaṁ; Bhāsamānañca jānanti,

he’s teaching the state free of death. He should speak and illustrate the teaching, holding up the banner of the seers. Words well spoken are the seers’ banner,

desentaṁ amataṁ padaṁ. Bhāsaye jotaye dhammaṁ, paggaṇhe isinaṁ dhajaṁ; Subhāsitadhajā isayo,

for the teaching is the banner of the seers.”

dhammo hi isinaṁ dhajo”ti. Aṭṭhamaṁ.