Aṅguttara Nikāya
Chakka Nipāta
VI. Mahā Vagga

The Book of the Sixes

Chapter VI: The Great Chapter

Sutta 64

Sīha-Nāda Suttaṃ

The Lion-Roar

[295]

Thus have I heard:

Once the Exalted One was dwelling near Sāvatthī,
at Jeta Grove,
in Anāthapiṇḍika's Park.

There the Exalted One addressed the monks, saying:

"Monks."

"Yes, lord," they replied, and the Exalted One said:

"Monks, these are the six¹ Tathāgata-powers of a Tathāgata,
possessed of which the Tathāgata claims the place of the bull,
roars the lion-roar in assemblies
and sets a-roll the Brahmā Wheel.

What six?

Herein, monks, the Tathāgata knows as fact²
base from base,
non-base from non-base.³

In that the Tathāgata knows as fact
base from base,
non-base from non-base,
it is a Tathāgata's Tathāgata-power
whereby the Tathāgata claims the place of the bull,
roars the lion-roar in assemblies
and sets a-roll the Brahmā Wheel.

■

Again, the Tathāgata knows as fact
the result,
with its base and cause,
of action's moulding⁴
in respect of the past,
future [296]
and present^ed1.

-◦-

In that the Tathāgata knows as fact
the result,
with its base and cause,
of action's moulding
in respect of the past,
future
and present
it is a Tathāgata's Tathāgata-power
whereby the Tathāgata claims the place of the bull,
roars the lion-roar in assemblies
and sets a-roll the Brahmā Wheel.

■

He knows the stain, purity and emergence⁵
in musing,
deliverance
and concentration attainments.

-◦-

In that the Tathāgata knows
of the stain, purity and emergence
in musing,
deliverance
and concentration attainments
it is a Tathāgata's Tathāgata-power
whereby the Tathāgata claims the place of the bull,
roars the lion-roar in assemblies
and sets a-roll the Brahmā Wheel.

■

He remembers many a previous dwelling
with its circumstances and details:^ed2

One birth,
two births,
three births,
four, five,
ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty,
a hundred births,
a thousand births,
a hundred thousand births,
many an aeon of progression,
many an aeon of destruction,
many an aeon of both progression and destruction;
that in each such was my name,
such my clan,
such my caste,
such my food,
such my experience of happiness and ill,
such my span of life.

Faring on thence
I arose there.

There such was my name,
such my clan,
such my caste,
such my food,
such my experience of happiness and ill,
such my span of life.

Faring on thence
I arose here.

Thus he remembers many a previous dwelling
with its circumstances and details.

-◦-

In that the Tathāgata remembers many a previous dwelling
with its circumstances and details:

Faring on thence
I arose there.

There such was my name,
such my clan,
such my caste,
such my food,
such my experience of happiness and ill,
such my span of life.

Faring on thence
I arose here.

it is a Tathāgata's Tathāgata-power
whereby the Tathāgata claims the place of the bull,
roars the lion-roar in assemblies
and sets a-roll the Brahmā Wheel.

■

With the purified deva-eye,
surpassing the human eye,
he sees and knows beings
in course of faring on -
beings lowly and exalted,
beautiful and ugly,
happy and in woe,
according to their deeds.^ed3

Thinking:

"These worthies were given over to evil practices
in act, word and thought,
were revilers of the Ariyans,
holders of wrong views,
men who have acquired this karma
from wrong views;
and on the breaking up of the body after death,
have arisen in the untoward way,
the ill way,
the abyss,
hell.

But these good sirs behaved rightly
in act, word and thought,
were no revilers of the Ariyans,
held right views
and have acquired this karma therefrom;
and on the breaking up of the body after death,
have arisen in the blissful heaven world."

Thus with the purified deva-eye,
surpassing the human eye,
he sees and knows beings
in course of faring on -
beings lowly and exalted,
beautiful and ugly,
happy and in woe,
according to their deeds.

-◦-

In that the Tathāgata with the purified deva-eye,
surpassing the human eye,
sees and knows beings
in course of faring on -
beings lowly and exalted,
beautiful and ugly,
happy and in woe,
according to their deeds.

Thinking:

it is a Tathāgata's Tathāgata-power
whereby the Tathāgata claims the place of the bull,
roars the lion-roar in assemblies
and sets a-roll the Brahmā Wheel.

■

Destroying the cankers,
the Tathāgata enters and abides in mind-emancipation,
in insight-emancipation,
canker-free
having realized that state
by his own
even in this very life.

-◦-

In that the Tathāgata by destroying the cankers,
enters and abides in mind-emancipation,
in insight-emancipation,
canker-free
having realized that state
by his own knowledge
even in this very life,
it is a Tathāgata's Tathāgata-power
whereby the Tathāgata claims the place of the bull,
roars the lion-roar in assemblies
and sets a-roll the Brahmā Wheel.

Monks, these are the six Tathāgata-powers of a Tathāgata,
possessed of which the Tathāgata
claims the place of the bull,
roars the lion-roar in assemblies
and sets a-roll the Brahmā Wheel.

And if, monks, others come
and question the Tathāgata
because of his knowledge, as fact, of
base from base,
non-base from non-base;
according as the Tathāgata's knowledge, as fact of^ed4
base from base,
non-base from non-base prevails,
so the Tathāgata explains to them
by knowledge as fact,
when questioned.

■

Or if others come and question
him because of his knowledge, as fact,
of the result,
with its base and cause,
of action's moulding
in respect of the past,
future
and present,
according as the Tathāgata's knowledge, as fact
of the result,
with its base and cause,
of action's moulding
in respect of the past,
future
and present prevails,
so the Tathāgata explains to them
by knowledge as fact,
when questioned.

■

Or if others come and question him
because of his knowledge, as fact,
of the stain, purity and emergence
in musing,
deliverance
and concentration attainments
according as the Tathāgata's knowledge, as fact
of the stain, purity and emergence
in musing,
deliverance
and concentration attainments prevails,
so the Tathāgata explains to them
by knowledge as fact,
when questioned.

■

Or if others come and question him
because of his knowledge, as fact,
of many a previous dwelling
with its circumstances and details^ed5
according as the Tathāgata's knowledge as fact,
of many a previous dwelling
with its circumstances and details prevails,
so the Tathāgata explains to them
by knowledge as fact,
when questioned.

■

Or if others come and question him
because of his knowledge, as fact,
of seeing and knowing beings,
with the purified deva-eye,
surpassing the human eye,
in course of faring on -
beings lowly and exalted,
beautiful and ugly,
happy and in woe,
according to their deeds
according as the Tathāgata's knowledge, as fact
of seeing and knowing beings,
with the purified deva-eye,
surpassing the human eye,
in course of faring on -
beings lowly and exalted,
beautiful and ugly,
happy and in woe,
according to their deeds prevails,
so the Tathāgata explains to them
by knowledge as fact,
when questioned.

■

Or if others come and question him
because of his knowledge, as fact,
of the destruction of the cankers,
entering on and abiding in mind-emancipation,
in insight-emancipation,
canker-free
having realized that state
by his own knowledge
even in this very life
according as the Tathāgata's knowledge, as fact,
of the destruction of the cankers,
entering on and abiding in mind-emancipation,
in insight-emancipation,
canker-free
having realized that state
by his own knowledge
even in this very life prevails,
so the Tathāgata explains to them
by knowledge as fact,
when questioned.

Now, this knowledge, as fact, of
base from base,
non-base from non-base,
I declare it to be the possession of the concentrated,
not of the unconcentrated.

■

Now, this knowledge, as fact, of
the result,
with its base and cause,
of action's moulding
in respect of the past,
future
and present,
I declare it to be the possession of the concentrated,
not of the unconcentrated.

■

Now, this knowledge, as fact, of
the stain, purity and emergence
in musing,
deliverance
and concentration attainments,
I declare it to be the possession of the concentrated,
not of the unconcentrated.

■

Now, this knowledge, as fact, of
many a previous dwelling
with its circumstances and details,
I declare it to be the possession of the concentrated,
not of the unconcentrated.

■

Now, this knowledge, as fact, of
seeing and knowing beings
with the purified deva-eye,
surpassing the human eye,
in course of faring on -
beings lowly and exalted,
beautiful and ugly,
happy and in woe,
according to their deeds,
I declare it to be the possession of the concentrated,
not of the unconcentrated.

■

Now, this knowledge, as fact, of
the destruction of the cankers,
entering on and abiding in mind-emancipation,
in insight-emancipation,
canker-free
having realized that state
by his own knowledge
even in this very life,
I declare it to be the possession of the concentrated,
not of the unconcentrated.

Thus, verily, monks, concentration is the Way,
non-concentration the no-whither way.⁶

¹ See Pts. of Contr. 140; M. i, 67; A. v, 33.

²Yathābhūtaṃ.

³ Ṭhāna and aṭṭhāna. Comy. kāraṇa.

⁴ Kamma-samādāna.

⁵ See Compendium, 67 ff.

⁶ Samādhi maggo, asamādhi kummaggo.

^ed1 Atītānāgatapaccuppannāna. Hare has 'past, present, future'.

^ed2 Hare abridges, this is taken from his translation of AN 9.35; see also AN 5.23

^ed3 Hare abridges, this is taken from his translation of AN 9.35; see also AN 5.23

^ed4 Hare omits the second repetition in each of the following.