Sakka visits by night (SA-2.45)

Thus have I heard, once, the Buddha was staying at Sāvatthī at the Jeta Grove in the Anāthapiṇḍika Park.

At that time Sakka Devānaṁ Inda, of beautiful appearance, surpassing human beings and devas, came to where the Buddha was in the middle of the night. He paid homage at the Buddha’s feet and sat to one side. At that time the entire Jeta Grove was filled with light brighter than daylight. Sakka Devānaṁ Inda spoke a verse:

“Destroying what can one find peace and rest? /
Getting rid of what can one be free of sorrow?
The cessation of what is praised by Gotama? /
Please dispel my doubts!”

At that time the World-honored One replied with a verse:

“Destroying anger, one finds peace and rest. /
Getting rid of anger, one is without sorrow.
Pulling out anger’s stinging, poisonous root: /
this, Sakka, you should know.
Since anger destroys the good, /
those who get rid of it will be praised.”

Having heard what the Buddha said, Sakka Devānaṁ Inda circumambulated him three times, was happy and remembered it well.

Translation by Marcus Bingenheimer, 2005–8 (minor revisions 2009). First version published in Buddhist Studies Review vol. 23.1 (2006). The translations used here were revised by the translator and published in his Studies in Āgama Literature—with Special Reference to the Shorter Chinese Saṁyuktāgama, Dharma Drum Buddhist College, 2010.

Translated from the Taishō text of the CBETA-Database (Version Feb. 2006). All sutta titles added by the translator.

This series of translations were part of the project “A Digital Comparative Edition of the Bieyi za ahan jing” conducted at the Chung-hwa Institute for Buddhist Studies (中華佛學研究所) and the Dharma Drum Buddhist College (法鼓佛教研修學院), funded by the Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange (蔣經國國際學術交流基金會). The full project, including parallel Chinese, Pali, and Sanskrit texts, is available online here.

Used with kind permission of the translator.

Prepared for SuttaCentral by Bhikkhu Sujato.