Linked Discourses 1 Saṃyutta Nikāya 1

1. A Reed 1. Naḷavagga

1. Crossing the Flood 1. Oghataraṇasutta

1.1 1ed1.1 2ed1.1 1 ABC 123.456:789 ABC 123.456:789 ABC 123.456:789 ABC 123.456:789 So I have heard. Evaṃ me sutaṃ— 1.2 At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. ekaṃ samayaṃ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṃ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme.

1.3 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 said to him, Atha kho aññatarā devatā abhikkantāya rattiyā abhikkantavaṇṇā kevalakappaṃ jetavanaṃ obhāsetvā yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṃ abhivādetvā ekamantaṃ aṭṭhāsi. Ekamantaṃ ṭhitā kho sā devatā bhagavantaṃ etadavoca: 1.4 “Good sir, how did you cross the flood?” “kathaṃ nu tvaṃ, mārisa, oghamatarī”ti?

1.5 “Neither standing nor swimming, sir, I crossed the flood.” Bhikkhu Bodhi (Connected Discourses of the Buddha, p. 123) has “not halting and not straining”, and other translators have rendered similarly. However I am not quite happy with such translations, as they never appear to make the metaphor clear. The point, it seems to me, is that when one stands in a flood, when the water gets too deep you sink over your head; and if you swim, you get swept away. Perhaps we have been misled by the connotations of “sink” in English; it doesn’t quite work to say that “if you stand, you sink”. Rather, it means “become submerged”, or more colloquially “go under”. “Appatiṭṭhaṃ khvāhaṃ, āvuso, anāyūhaṃ oghamatarin”ti.

1.6 “But in what way did you cross the flood neither standing nor swimming?” “Yathākathaṃ pana tvaṃ, mārisa, appatiṭṭhaṃ anāyūhaṃ oghamatarī”ti?

1.7 “When I stood still, I went under. “Yadāsvāhaṃ, āvuso, santiṭṭhāmi tadāssu saṃsīdāmi; 1.8 And when I swam, I was swept away. yadāsvāhaṃ, āvuso, āyūhāmi tadāssu nibbuyhāmi. nibbuyhāmi → nivuyhāmi (s1-3, km, mr) 1.9 That’s how I crossed the flood neither standing nor swimming.” Evaṃ khvāhaṃ, āvuso, appatiṭṭhaṃ anāyūhaṃ oghamatarin”ti.

2.1 2 “After a long time I see “Cirassaṃ vata passāmi,
2.2 a brahmin extinguished. brāhmaṇaṃ parinibbutaṃ;
2.3 Neither standing nor swimming, Appatiṭṭhaṃ anāyūhaṃ,
2.4 he’s crossed over clinging to the world.” But has he crossed over the need to express his unique voice in a footnote? tiṇṇaṃ loke visattikan”ti.

3.1 3 This is what that deity said, Idamavoca sā devatā. 3.2 and the teacher approved. Samanuñño satthā ahosi. 3.3 Atha kho sā devatā: 3.4 Then that deity, knowing that the teacher approved, bowed and respectfully circled the Buddha, keeping him on his right, before vanishing right there. “samanuñño me satthā”ti bhagavantaṃ abhivādetvā padakkhiṇaṃ katvā tatthevantaradhāyīti.