1"Bhikkhus, I was delicately nurtured, most delicately nurtured, extremely delicately nurtured. At my father's residence lotus ponds were made just for my enjoyment: in one of them blue lotuses bloomed, in another red lotuses, and in a third white lotuses. [n.389] Mp defines paduma as a white lotus (paṇḍarapadumaṁ) and puṇḍarīka as a red lotus (rattapadumaṁ). SED, however, defines puṇḍarīka as "a lotus flower (esp. a white lotus)," adding that the word is used to mean "white" in general. Numerous websites I consulted also define puṇḍarīka as a white lotus. I used no sandalwood unless it came from Kāsi and my headdress, jacket, lower garment, and upper garment were made of cloth from Kāsi. [n.390] Kāsi was one of the sixteen great states of India, with its capital at Bārāṇasī. By day and by night a white canopy was held over me so that cold and heat, dust, grass, and dew would not settle on me.

2"I had three mansions: one for the winter, one for the summer, and one for the rainy season. [n.391] These are the three seasons of northern India: the winter lasts roughly from November to March, the hot season from March to July, and the rainy season from July to November. Mp says that the winter mansion had nine stories, which were low in order to retain heat; the summer mansion had five stories, which were high in order to allow the air to cool; and the rains mansion had seven stories, which were neither high nor low in order to establish a medium temperature. I spent the four months of the rains in the rainy-season mansion, being entertained by musicians, none of whom were male, [n.392] Nippurisehi. Mp says that not only the musicians but all the posts in the palaces were occupied by women (itthiyo). Thus for four months another man did not get to see him. and I did not leave the mansion. While in other people's homes slaves, workers, and servants are given broken rice together with sour gruel for their meals, in my father's residence they were given choice hill rice, meat, and boiled rice.

3(1) "Amid such splendor and a delicate life, it occurred to me: ‘An uninstructed worldling, though himself subject to old age, not exempt from old age, feels repelled, humiliated, and disgusted when he sees another who is old, overlooking his own situation. [n.393] Attānaṁyeva atisitvā. Atisitvā is absolutive of atisarati. See DOP sv atisarati. Now I too am subject to old age and am not exempt from old age. Such being the case, if I were to feel repelled, humiliated, and disgusted when seeing another who is old, that would not be proper for me.’ When I reflected thus, my intoxication with youth was completely abandoned.

4(2) "Again, it occurred to me: ‘An uninstructed worldling, though himself subject to illness, not exempt from illness, feels repelled, humiliated, and disgusted when he sees another who is ill, overlooking his own situation. Now I too am subject to illness and am not exempt from illness. Such being the case, if I were to feel repelled, humiliated, and disgusted when seeing another who is ill, that would not be proper for me.’ When I reflected thus, my intoxication with health was completely abandoned.

5(3) "Again, it occurred to me: ‘An uninstructed worldling, though himself subject to death, not exempt from death, feels repelled, humiliated, and disgusted when he sees another who has died, overlooking his own situation. Now I too am subject to death and am not exempt from death. Such being the case, if I were to feel repelled, humiliated, and disgusted when seeing another who has died, that would not be proper for me.’ When I reflected thus, my intoxication with life was completely abandoned.

6"There are, bhikkhus, these three kinds of intoxication. [n.394] Ee takes this sentence to mark the beginning of a new sutta, AN3.39 in its numbering. But Ce and Be, which I follow, treat this passage as a continuation of the sutta that began with the Buddha’s recollection of his delicate upbringing. In Ce and Be, this entire sutta is AN3.39, so that at this point the numbering in all three editions coincides. What three? Intoxication with youth, intoxication with health, and intoxication with life. (1) An uninstructed worldling, intoxicated with youth, engages in misconduct by body, speech, and mind. With the breakup of the body, after death, he is reborn in the plane of misery, in a bad destination, in the lower world, in hell. (2) An uninstructed worldling, intoxicated with health, engages in misconduct by body, speech, and mind. With the breakup of the body, after death, he is reborn in the plane of misery, in a bad destination, in the lower world, in hell. (3) An uninstructed worldling, intoxicated with life, engages in misconduct by body, speech, and mind. With the breakup of the body, after death, he is reborn in the plane of misery, in a bad destination, in the lower world, in hell.

7"Intoxicated with youth, a bhikkhu gives up the training and reverts to the lower life; or intoxicated with health, he gives up the training and reverts to the lower life; or intoxicated with life, he gives up the training and reverts to the lower life.

8"Worldlings subject to illness,
old age, and death, are disgusted
by other people who exist
in accordance with their nature. [n.395] The third pāda is obscure: yathā dhammā tathā santā. I translate it literally. In explaining the fourth pāda, Mp adds parapuggalaṁ as an object of the verb jigucchanti.

9"If I were to become disgusted
with beings who have such a nature,
that would not be proper for me
since I too have the same nature.

10"While I was dwelling thus,
having known the state without acquisitions,
I overcame all intoxications—
intoxication with health,

11with youth, and with life—
having seen security in renunciation. [n.396] Ce and Be read nekkhamme daṭṭhu khemataṁ. Ee has nekkhammaṁ daṭṭhu khemato as its primary reading but mentions the Ce and Be variants in its notes. Mp (both Ce and Be) uses the Ce and Be reading as the lemma, which it glosses nibbāne khemabhāvaṁ disvā, but it then cites the Ee reading as a variant, glossed nibbānaṁ khemato disvā. Thus here Ee has chosen the variant as the primary reading.
"Zeal then arose in me
as I clearly saw nibbāna.

12Now I am incapable
of indulging in sensual pleasures.
Relying on the spiritual life,
never will I turn back." [n.397] Mp says that these verses refer to his own energy as it arose while he was sitting beneath the bodhi tree.

1"Sukhumālo ahaṁ, bhikkhave, paramasukhumālo accantasukhumālo. Mama sudaṁ, bhikkhave, pitu nivesane pokkharaṇiyo kāritā honti. Ekattha sudaṁ, bhikkhave, uppalaṁ vappati, ekattha padumaṁ, ekattha puṇḍarīkaṁ, yāvadeva mamatthāya. Na kho panassāhaṁ, bhikkhave, akāsikaṁ candanaṁ dhāremi. Kāsikaṁ, bhikkhave, su me taṁ veṭhanaṁ hoti, kāsikā kañcukā, kāsikaṁ nivāsanaṁ, kāsiko uttarāsaṅgo. Rattindivaṁ kho pana me su taṁ, bhikkhave, setacchattaṁ dhārīyati: ‘mā naṁ phusi sītaṁ vā uṇhaṁ vā tiṇaṁ vā rajo vā ussāvo vā’ti.

2Tassa mayhaṁ, bhikkhave, tayo pāsādā ahesuṁ – eko hemantiko, eko gimhiko, eko vassiko. So kho ahaṁ, bhikkhave, vassike pāsāde vassike cattāro māse nippurisehi tūriyehi paricārayamāno na heṭṭhāpāsādaṁ orohāmi. Yathā kho pana, bhikkhave, aññesaṁ nivesane dāsakammakaraporisassa kaṇājakaṁ bhojanaṁ dīyati bilaṅgadutiyaṁ, evamevassu me, bhikkhave, pitu nivesane dāsakammakaraporisassa sālimaṁsodano dīyati.

3Tassa mayhaṁ, bhikkhave, evarūpāya iddhiyā samannāgatassa evarūpena ca sukhumālena etadahosi: ‘assutavā kho puthujjano attanā jarādhammo samāno jaraṁ anatīto paraṁ jiṇṇaṁ disvā aṭṭīyati harāyati jigucchati attānaṁyeva atisitvā, ahampi khomhi jarādhammo jaraṁ anatīto. Ahañceva kho pana jarādhammo samāno jaraṁ anatīto paraṁ jiṇṇaṁ disvā aṭṭīyeyyaṁ harāyeyyaṁ jiguccheyyaṁ na metaṁ assa patirūpan’ti. Tassa mayhaṁ, bhikkhave, iti paṭisañcikkhato yo yobbane yobbanamado so sabbaso pahīyi.

4Assutavā kho puthujjano attanā byādhidhammo samāno byādhiṁ anatīto paraṁ byādhitaṁ disvā aṭṭīyati harāyati jigucchati attānaṁyeva atisitvā: ‘ahampi khomhi byādhidhammo byādhiṁ anatīto, ahañceva kho pana byādhidhammo samāno byādhiṁ anatīto paraṁ byādhikaṁ disvā aṭṭīyeyyaṁ harāyeyyaṁ jiguccheyyaṁ, na metaṁ assa patirūpan’ti. Tassa mayhaṁ, bhikkhave, iti paṭisañcikkhato yo ārogye ārogyamado so sabbaso pahīyi.

5Assutavā kho puthujjano attanā maraṇadhammo samāno maraṇaṁ anatīto paraṁ mataṁ disvā aṭṭīyati harāyati jigucchati attānaṁyeva atisitvā: ‘ahampi khomhi maraṇadhammo, maraṇaṁ anatīto, ahaṁ ceva kho pana maraṇadhammo samāno maraṇaṁ anatīto paraṁ mataṁ disvā aṭṭīyeyyaṁ harāyeyyaṁ jiguccheyyaṁ, na metaṁ assa patirūpan’ti. Tassa mayhaṁ, bhikkhave, iti paṭisañcikkhato yo jīvite jīvitamado so sabbaso pahīyīti.

6Tayome, bhikkhave, madā. Katame tayo? Yobbanamado, ārogyamado, jīvitamado. Yobbanamadamatto vā, bhikkhave, assutavā puthujjano kāyena duccaritaṁ carati, vācāya duccaritaṁ carati, manasā duccaritaṁ carati. So kāyena duccaritaṁ caritvā, vācāya duccaritaṁ caritvā, manasā duccaritaṁ caritvā kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ nirayaṁ upapajjati. Ārogyamadamatto vā, bhikkhave, assutavā puthujjano … pe … jīvitamadamatto vā, bhikkhave, assutavā puthujjano kāyena duccaritaṁ carati, vācāya duccaritaṁ carati, manasā duccaritaṁ carati. So kāyena duccaritaṁ caritvā, vācāya duccaritaṁ caritvā, manasā duccaritaṁ caritvā kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ nirayaṁ upapajjati.

7Yobbanamadamatto vā, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sikkhaṁ paccakkhāya hīnāyāvattati. Ārogyamadamatto vā, bhikkhave, bhikkhu … pe … jīvitamadamatto vā, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sikkhaṁ paccakkhāya hīnāyāvattatīti.

8Byādhidhammā jarādhammā,
atho maraṇadhammino;
Yathādhammā tathāsantā,
jigucchanti puthujjanā.

9Ahañce taṁ jiguccheyyaṁ,
evaṁdhammesu pāṇisu;
Na metaṁ patirūpassa,
mama evaṁ vihārino.

10Sohaṁ evaṁ viharanto,
ñatvā dhammaṁ nirūpadhiṁ;
Ārogye yobbanasmiñca,
jīvitasmiñca ye madā.

11Sabbe made abhibhosmi,
Nekkhamme daṭṭhu khemataṁ;
Tassa me ahu ussāho,
Nibbānaṁ abhipassato.

12Nāhaṁ bhabbo etarahi,
Kāmāni paṭisevituṁ;
Anivatti bhavissāmi,
Brahmacariyaparāyaṇo"ti.

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Navamaṁ.