1On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Sāvatthī in Jeta's Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika's Park. Then, when the night had advanced, the young deva Rohitassa, of stunning beauty, illuminating the entire Jeta's Grove, approached the Blessed One. He paid homage to the Blessed One, stood to one side, and said:

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2"Is it possible, Bhante, by traveling to know, see, or reach the end of the world, where one is not born, does not grow old and die, does not pass away and get reborn?"

"I say, friend, that by traveling one cannot know, see, or reach that end of the world where one is not born, does not grow old and die, does not pass away and get reborn."

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3"It is astounding and amazing, Bhante, how well this was stated by the Blessed One: ‘I say, friend, that by traveling one cannot know, see, or reach that end of the world where one is not born, does not grow old and die, does not pass away and get reborn.’

4"In the past, Bhante, I was a seer named Rohitassa, son of Bhoja, one possessing psychic potency, able to travel through the sky. My speed was like that of a light arrow easily shot by a firm-bowed [n.724] Daḷhadhammā. The suffix -dhamma here is a Pāli formation of Skt dhanvan, "having a bow." Hence the gloss by Mp: "Firm-bowed means possessing a bow of the maximum size" (daḷhadhanu uttamappamāṇena dhanunā samannāgato). archer—one trained, skillful, and experienced [n.725] Dhanuggaho sikkhito katahattho katūpāsano. Mp explains dhanuggaho as a teacher of archery, sikkhito as one who has trained in archery for twelve years, katahattho as one skillful enough to split the tip of a hair even at the distance of an usabha, and katūpasāno as one experienced in shooting arrows who has exhibited his craft. See too AN9.38, n. 1935; also see CDB 393, note 181, and CDB 819, note 365. —across the shadow of a palmyra tree. My stride was such that it could reach from the eastern ocean to the western ocean. Then, while I possessed such speed and such a stride, the wish arose in me: ‘I will reach the end of the world by traveling.’ Having a life span of a hundred years, living for a hundred years, I traveled for a hundred years without pausing except to eat, drink, chew, and taste, to defecate and urinate, and to dispel fatigue with sleep; yet I died along the way without having reached the end of the world.

5"It is astounding and amazing, Bhante, how well this was stated by the Blessed One: ‘I say, friend, that by traveling one cannot know, see, or reach that end of the world where one is not born, does not grow old and die, does not pass away and get reborn.’"

6"I say, friend, that by traveling one cannot know, see, or reach that end of the world where one is not born, does not grow old and die, does not pass away and get reborn. Yet I say that without having reached the end of the world there is no making an end of suffering. It is in this fathom-long body endowed with perception and mind that I proclaim (1) the world, (2) the origin of the world, (3) the cessation of the world, and (4) the way leading to the cessation of the world."

7The end of the world can never be reached
by means of traveling across the world;
yet without reaching the world's end
there is no release from suffering.

8Hence the wise one, the world-knower,
who has reached the world's end and lived the spiritual life,
having known the world's end, at peace,
does not desire this world or another.

1Ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme. Atha kho rohitasso devaputto abhikkantāya rattiyā abhikkantavaṇṇo kevalakappaṁ jetavanaṁ obhāsetvā yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ aṭṭhāsi. Ekamantaṁ ṭhito kho rohitasso devaputto bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:

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2"Yattha nu kho, bhante, na jāyati na jīyati na mīyati na cavati na upapajjati, sakkā nu kho so, bhante, gamanena lokassa anto ñātuṁ vā daṭṭhuṁ vā pāpuṇituṁ vā"ti?

"Yattha kho, āvuso, na jāyati na jīyati na mīyati na cavati na upapajjati, nāhaṁ taṁ gamanena lokassa antaṁ ñāteyyaṁ daṭṭheyyaṁ patteyyanti vadāmī"ti.

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3"Acchariyaṁ, bhante, abbhutaṁ, bhante. Yāva subhāsitamidaṁ, bhante, bhagavatā: ‘yattha kho, āvuso, na jāyati na jīyati na mīyati na cavati na upapajjati, nāhaṁ taṁ gamanena lokassa antaṁ ñāteyyaṁ daṭṭheyyaṁ patteyyanti vadāmī’"ti.

4"Bhūtapubbāhaṁ, bhante, rohitasso nāma isi ahosiṁ bhojaputto iddhimā vehāsaṅgamo. Tassa mayhaṁ, bhante, evarūpo javo ahosi, seyyathāpi nāma daḷhadhammā dhanuggaho sikkhito katahattho katūpāsano lahukena asanena appakasirena tiriyaṁ tālacchāyaṁ atipāteyya. Tassa mayhaṁ, bhante, evarūpo padavītihāro ahosi, seyyathāpi nāma puratthimā samuddā pacchimo samuddo. Tassa mayhaṁ, bhante, evarūpena javena samannāgatassa evarūpena ca padavītihārena evarūpaṁ icchāgataṁ uppajji: ‘Ahaṁ gamanena lokassa antaṁ pāpuṇissāmī’ti. So kho ahaṁ, bhante, aññatreva asitapītakhāyitasāyitā aññatra uccārapassāvakammā aññatra niddākilamathapaṭivinodanā vassasatāyuko vassasatajīvī vassasataṁ gantvā appatvāva lokassa antaṁ antarāyeva kālaṅkato.

5Acchariyaṁ, bhante, abbhutaṁ, bhante. Yāva subhāsitamidaṁ, bhante, bhagavatā: ‘yattha kho, āvuso, na jāyati na jīyati na mīyati na cavati na upapajjati, nāhaṁ taṁ gamanena lokassa antaṁ ñāteyyaṁ daṭṭheyyaṁ patteyyanti vadāmī’"ti.

6"‘Yattha kho, āvuso, na jāyati na jīyati na mīyati na cavati na upapajjati, nāhaṁ taṁ gamanena lokassa antaṁ ñāteyyaṁ daṭṭheyyaṁ patteyyan’ti vadāmi. Na cāhaṁ, āvuso, appatvāva lokassa antaṁ dukkhassa antakiriyaṁ vadāmi. Api cāhaṁ, āvuso, imasmiṁyeva byāmamatte kaḷevare sasaññimhi samanake lokañca paññāpemi lokasamudayañca lokanirodhañca lokanirodhagāminiñca paṭipadanti.

7Gamanena na pattabbo,
lokassanto kudācanaṁ;
Na ca appatvā lokantaṁ,
dukkhā atthi pamocanaṁ.

8Tasmā have lokavidū sumedho,
Lokantagū vusitabrahmacariyo;
Lokassa antaṁ samitāvi ñatvā,
Nāsīsatī lokamimaṁ parañcā"ti.

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Pañcamaṁ.