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Sakka,Panha Sutta SD 54.8 D 21/2:263-289 • Sakkapañha Sutta 8 Sakka,pañha Sutta The Discourse on Sakra’s Questions | D 21 or, (Dīgha) Sakka,pañha Sutta The (Dīgha) Discourse on Sakra’s Questions Theme: The erotic, the spiritual and streamwinning Translated by Piya Tan ©2009, 2012, 2019 MAIN CONTENTS OF SD 54.8 1 Summary, structure, significance 1.1 SUTTA SUMMARY AND SIGNIFICANCE: 1.1.1 Summary. 1.1.2 Genre. 1.1.3 Significance 1.2 SUTTA STRUCTURE: 1.2.1 The 2 parts of the Sutta. 1.2.2 Contrasting themes. 1.2.3 Sakra’s questions. 1.2.4 Sakra’s streamwinning 1.3 SYMBOLISMS: THE SUN AND EARTH: 1.3.1 Bhaddā Suriya,vacchasā. 1.3.2 The Buddha as Aṅgī,rasa. 1.3.3 Sakra’s earth-touching gesture 1.4 A FEW INTERESTING WORDS: 1.4.1 Kuto,mukhā. 1.4.2 Bhaddan tava. 1.4.3 Pāda,paricārikā. 1.5 KEY PLACES IN THE SUTTA: 1.5.1 Inda,sāla cave. 1.5.2 Vediya(ka) mountain. 2 Sakra in the Sakka,pañha Sutta 2.1 SAKRA’S MEETING WITH THE BUDDHA: 2.1.1 Sakra’s initial nervousness. 2.1.2 Sakra’s fearfulness. 2.1.3 The noise of Sakra’s chariot-wheels 2.2 WHY SAKRA IS EAGER TO MEET THE BUDDHA: 2.2.1 Sakra’s quest. 2.2.2 The external motivator. 2.2.3 The internal motivator. 2.2.4 Sakra’s aspirations and inspirations 3 Sutta teachings 3.0 Sakka’s readiness to learn 3.1 THE 1ST QUESTION (SERIES) 3.2 THE 2ND QUESTION 3.3 THE 3RD QUESTION 3.4 THE 4TH QUESTION 3.5 THE 5TH QUESTION 3.6 (SAṀYUTTA) SAKKA,PAÑHA SUTTA (S 35.118): 3.6.2 Pañca,sikha Sutta (S 35.119). 3.6.3 Other questions by Sakra. 4 Key protagonists in the Sutta (other than Sakra) 4.1 Pañca,sikha. 4.1.1 His background. 4.1.2 His role in expediting Sakra’s meeting with the Buddha. 4.2 Bhuñjati. 4.2.2 Meaning of paricārikā. 4.3 Pajāpati 5 Sutta highlights 5.1 Pañca,sikha’s song 5.2 Music and the Buddha. 5.2.5 The veena (vīṇā). 5.3 Gopikā and Gopaka. 5.3.1 Gopikā, Gopaka and his verses. 5.3.2 Anti-feminism? 5.4 On the term gandhabba 6 Love and the erotic in the heavens 6.1 Heavenly sexuality 6.2 Fearfulness and self-confidence: 6.2.1 Sakka,pañha Sutta (D 21). 6.2.2 Cūḷa Taṇhā,saṅkhaya Sutta (M 37). 6.2.3 Sakka Vatthu (DhA 15.8) 6.3 Sakra’s love affairs: 6.3.1 Sahassa,yoni. 6.3.2 Sudhammā. 6.3.3 Nandā. 6.3.4 Cittā. 6.3.5 Sujā. 6.3.6 Rohinī. 6.4 Sensuality and renunciation: 6.4.1 Pleasure and pain. 6.4.2 The way out. 6.4.3 Beyond pleasure and pain. The Pañca,sikha Sutta (D 21): see (1.2.1) for the Sutta Contents. 140 http://dharmafarer.org D 2.8 Dīghanikāya 2, Mahā Vagga 8 1 Summary, structure, significance 1.1 SUTTA SUMMARY AND SIGNIFICANCE 1.1.1 Summary. The Sakka,pañha Sutta (D 21), the discourse on Sakra’s questions,1 recounts Sakra’s2 1st visit to the Buddha and deep faith in the Dharma [§1], the teachings connected with him, and his attaining of streamwinning [§2]. The sub-themes are on the gandharva Pañca,sikha, his music and love interest [§1.6], and the devout woman Gopikā and devaputra Gopaka [§1.11.2-1.12] Sakra visits the Buddha at the Inda,sāla cave in Vediya mountain, and, with the help of Pañca,sikha, meets him. Sakra asks the Buddha a set of 5 questions, covering a total of 14 topics [1.2.3]. The Sutta closes with Sakra’s showing his gratitude to Pañca,sikha, and attaining of streamwinning along with other devas [§§2.10.4-5]. 1.1.2 Genre 1.1.2.1 Exegetically,3 the Sakka,pañha Sutta and similar texts form their own category, known as vedalla (“question-and-answer teachings”), one of the 9 limbs of the teaching (nav’aṅga satthu,sāsana).4 The Dīgha Commentary explains that the vedalla category comprises such texts as the Cūḷa,vedalla Sutta, the Mahā,vedalla Sutta, the Sammā,diṭṭhi Sutta, the Sakka,pañha Sutta, the Saṅkhāra,bhājaniya Sutta5 and the Mahā,puṇṇāma Sutta, “all of which are suttas given in answer to questions asked in terms of joy and praise (of the Buddha,dharma)” (DA 1:24).6 In terms of teaching and narrative, they comprise questions and their answers, usually between two monastics, a questioner and a respondent (that is, they are catechetical suttas), such as these:7 Sakka,pañha Sutta D 21/2:263-389 Sakra and the Buddha SD 54.8 Sammā Diṭṭhi Sutta M 9/1:46-55 Sāriputta questions and answers8 SD 11.14 Mahā Vedalla Sutta M 43/1:291-297 Mahā Koṭṭhita & Sāriputta SD 30.2 Cūḷa Vedalla Sutta M 44/1:299-305 Visākha & Dhammadinnā9 SD 40a.9 Mahā Puṇṇama Sutta M 109/3:15-20 The Buddha and a monk10 SD 17.11 Māha Koṭṭhita Sutta A 9.13/4:382-385 Mahā Koṭṭhita & Sāriputta SD 39.11 1.1.2.2 In §1.4.4, the Sutta narrator tells us that the young gandharva Pañca,sikha plays on his veena and sings verses “regarding the Buddha, the Dharma, the arhats and love.” These categories were incorp- orated into the post-Buddha epic Mahā,bharata (1.2.383), where it is said to comprise treatises on the 4 1 The Sutta title comes from §§47d* + 48*, at the close of the 1st recital (Ch 1 of the Sutta). 2 On Sakra (P sakka), see SD 54.2 (3.2.3.6). 3 In terms of the study and explanation of texts, esp sacred texts. 4 On these 9 factors (aṅga), see Mahā Vedalla S (M 43), SD 30.2 (2.1); also SD 26.11 (3.2.1.3). 5 This Sutta has not been identified: it is a question-answer text on formations (saṅkhāra), which may mean what- ever “forms” us and the world, such as the 4 elements and consciousness. It is also possible that this Sutta is now lost. 6 Culla,devalla-mahā,vedalla-sammā,diṭṭhi-sakka,pañha-saṅkhāra,bhājaniya,mahā,puṇṇama-sutt’ādayo sabbe pi vedañ ca tuṭṭhiñ ca laddhâladdhā pucchita,suttantā vedallan’ti veditabbo (DA 1:24,14-17). 7 For a longer list of catechetical suttas, esp involving Mahā Koṭthita, see SD 28.4 (1.2). See also SD 44.12 (1.7.3.1). 8 On the variations in the actors here, see SD 11.14 (2). 9 While Visākha is a layman, erstwhile husband of Dhamma,dinnā, she is an arhat nun: see SD 40a.9 (3). 10 The questioner is said to be an arhat monk who is teacher to 60 other monks (SA 2:306): see SD 17.11 (1.4). http://dharmafarer.org 141 SD 54.8 D 21/2:263-289 • Sakkapañha Sutta aspects (varga) of life, that is: purpose (artha,śāstra), method (dharma,śāstra), love (kāma,śāstra) and liberation (mokṣa,śāstra), that is, on the useful, the true, the agreeable and the liberated.11 The Buddha shows us the true “purpose” of life, mundane and spiritual; the Dharma is the “method” for self-awakening, and arhathood the goal; “love”—as a feeling (lust) and activity (sex)12—is what drives beings as a species, as human nature and, specifically, as the psychology behind the nature of Siddhattha’s renunciation [6.4]. The 4th and last category is that of liberation (vimokkha). Indeed, this passage on Pañ- ca,sikha [§1.4.4] is the earliest mention of such categories. Note that these categories are mentioned, not by the Buddha, but by Pañca,sikha, the gandharva devaputra, a divine being whose task is to entertain and please the gods of the “earth-bound” heavens,13 that is, those of the 4 great kings and of Tāvatiṁsa. When the later brahminical writers compiled their patently anti-Buddhist works, such as the Mahābharata and Bhagavadgītā, they see these categories as “spiritual” quests. Both parties agree that liberation is the highest of these categories. 1.1.3 Significance 1.1.3.1 Of all the Dīgha Nikāya sources on Sakra, the most important is the Sakka,pañha Sutta (D 21), for the following reasons: (1) It records the 1st meeting between Sakra and the Buddha. However, he has known about the Buddha and the Dharma for quite some time. [2.1] (2) It frankly presents the erotic element in the context of spirituality, which helps us understand better the nature and significance of the Buddha’s great renunciation. [6.1] (3) The role of gender—in the story of Gopikā/Gopaka [5.3.1]—is highlighted in terms of spiritual prac- tice and attainment. [5.3.2] (4) It tells us about Sakra’s attaining of streamwinning and gives us some practical insight into its nature. [1.2.4] 1.1.3.2 The significance and popularity of the Sakka,pañha Sutta is attested by the fact it is mention- ed by name in a Saṁyutta sutta, the Milinda,pañha, the Mahāvastu, the Dīgha Commentary, and in non- Pali sources, especially Sanskrit and Chinese translations. (1) The Hāliddakāni Sutta 2 (S 22.4) records that while the elder Mahā Kaccāna is staying on Mount Papāta, near Kuraraghara, in Avantī, the householder, Hāliddakāni, mentions the Sakka,pañha by name, and specifically questions about the accanta,niṭṭha teaching [§§2.6.6-9],14 asking for a detailed explana- tion of it.15 (2) The Milinda,pañha mentions “the Inda,sāla cave” (Miln 349) and the “Sakka,pañha” (Sakra’s ques- tions) (Miln 350).
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