Saṁyutta Nikāya 11.2

The Related Suttas Collection 11.2

1. Paṭhamavagga

Chapter One

Susīmasutta

With Susīma

Sāvatthiyaṁ.

At Sāvatthī.

Tatra kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi: “bhikkhavo”ti.

There the Buddha addressed the bhikkhus, “Bhikkhus!”

“Bhadante”ti te bhikkhū bhagavato paccassosuṁ. Bhagavā etadavoca:

“Venerable sir,” they replied. The Buddha said this:

“Bhūtapubbaṁ, bhikkhave, asurā deve abhiyaṁsu.

“Once upon a time, bhikkhus, the demons marched against the gods.

Atha kho, bhikkhave, sakko devānamindo susīmaṁ¹ devaputtaṁ āmantesi: ‘ete, tāta susīma, asurā deve abhiyanti. Gaccha, tāta susīma, asure paccuyyāhī’ti.

Then Sakka, lord of gods, addressed the god Susīma, ‘Dear Susīma, the demons march against the gods! Go, and march against the demons!’

‘Evaṁ, bhaddantavā’ti kho, bhikkhave, susīmo devaputto sakkassa devānamindassa paṭissutvā pamādaṁ āpādesi.

‘Yes, lord,’ replied Susīma. But he fell into negligence.

Dutiyampi kho, bhikkhave, sakko devānamindo susīmaṁ devaputtaṁ āmantesi …pe… dutiyampi pamādaṁ āpādesi.

For a second time …

Tatiyampi kho, bhikkhave, sakko devānamindo susīmaṁ devaputtaṁ āmantesi …pe… tatiyampi pamādaṁ āpādesi.

For a third time …

Atha kho, bhikkhave, sakko devānamindo susīmaṁ devaputtaṁ gāthāya ajjhabhāsi:

Then Sakka addressed the god Susīma in verse:

‘Anuṭṭhahaṁ avāyāmaṁ, sukhaṁ yatrādhigacchati; Susīma tattha gacchāhi, mañca tattheva pāpayā’ti.

‘Susīma, go to that place where you can achieve happiness without working for it or trying hard—and take me with you!’

‘Alasvassa anuṭṭhātā, na ca kiccāni kāraye; Sabbakāmasamiddhassa, taṁ me sakka varaṁ disā’ti.

‘That a lazy man who does no work, and doesn’t do his duty, should fulfill all his desires: Sakka, grant me this boon!’

‘Yatthālaso anuṭṭhātā, accantaṁ sukhamedhati; Susīma tattha gacchāhi, mañca tattheva pāpayā’ti.

‘Susīma, go to that place where a lazy man who does no work prospers in unending happiness—and take me with you!’

‘Akammunā devaseṭṭha, sakka vindemu yaṁ sukhaṁ; Asokaṁ anupāyāsaṁ, taṁ me sakka varaṁ disā’ti.

‘O Sakka, first among gods, that we might find the happiness that’s sorrowless, unstressed: Sakka, grant me this boon!’

‘Sace atthi akammena, koci kvaci na jīvati; Nibbānassa hi so maggo, susīma tattha gacchāhi; Mañca tattheva pāpayā’ti.

‘If there exists anywhere a place where one can live happily without working, that surely would be Nibbana’s path! Susīma, go to that place and take me with you!’

So hi nāma, bhikkhave, sakko devānamindo sakaṁ puññaphalaṁ upajīvamāno devānaṁ tāvatiṁsānaṁ issariyādhipaccaṁ rajjaṁ kārento uṭṭhānavīriyassa vaṇṇavādī bhavissati. Idha kho taṁ, bhikkhave, sobhetha, yaṁ tumhe evaṁ svākkhāte dhammavinaye pabbajitā samānā uṭṭhaheyyātha ghaṭeyyātha vāyameyyātha appattassa pattiyā, anadhigatassa adhigamāya, asacchikatassa sacchikiriyāyā”ti.

So, bhikkhus, even Sakka, lord of gods—while living off of the fruit of his good and bad deeds, and ruling as sovereign lord over these gods of the Thirty-Three—will speak in praise of initiative and energy. But since you have gone forth in such a well explained teaching and training, it would be truly beautiful for you to try hard, strive, and make an effort to attain the unattained, achieve the unachieved, and realize the unrealized!”