1"Bhikkhus, there are these four kinds of self-confidence that the Tathāgata has, possessing which he claims the place of the chief bull, roars his lion's roar in the assemblies, and sets in motion the brahma wheel. [n.633] Mp glosses brahma here as "best, supreme, pure" (seṭṭhaṁ uttamaṁ visuddhaṁ) and identifies brahmacakka with dhammacakka, the wheel of the Dhamma. What four?

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(1) "I do not see any ground on the basis of which an ascetic or brahmin or deva or Māra or Brahmā or anyone in the world might reasonably reprove me, saying: ‘Though you claim to be perfectly enlightened, you are not fully enlightened about these things.’ Since I do not see any such ground, I dwell secure, fearless, and self-confident.

2(2) "I do not see any ground on the basis of which an ascetic or brahmin or deva or Māra or Brahmā or anyone in the world might reasonably reprove me, saying: ‘Though you claim to be one whose taints are destroyed, you have not fully destroyed these taints.’ Since I do not see any such ground, I dwell secure, fearless, and self-confident.

3(3) "I do not see any ground on the basis of which an ascetic or brahmin or deva or Māra or Brahmā or anyone in the world might reasonably reprove me, saying: ‘These things that you have said to be obstructive are not able to obstruct one who engages in them.’ Since I do not see any such ground, I dwell secure, fearless, and self-confident.

4(4) "I do not see any ground on the basis of which an ascetic or brahmin or deva or Māra or Brahmā or anyone in the world might reasonably reprove me, saying: ‘The Dhamma does not lead one who practices it to the complete destruction of suffering, the goal for the sake of which you teach it.’ [n.634] See AN3.64 and AN3.64, n. 451. Since I do not see any such ground, I dwell secure, fearless, and self-confident.

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"These, bhikkhus, are the four kinds of self-confidence that the Tathāgata has, possessing which he claims the place of the chief bull, roars his lion's roar in the assemblies, and sets in motion the wheel of Brahmā."

5These pathways of doctrine,
formulated in diverse ways,
relied upon by ascetics and brahmins,
do not reach the Tathāgata,
the self-confident one who has passed
beyond the pathways of doctrine. [n.635] Vanarata writes with regard to pāda c: "I think that patvā is a mistaken adaptation from an original early Pāli pattā, which can be both absolutive and past participle. When Pāli was reshaped, the wrong alternative was chosen. Pattā, being past participle, should have been left unchanged" personal communication. I read pāda d with Be visāradaṁ vādapathātivattaṁ, a reading shared with older Sinhala manuscripts. Ce has visāradaṁ vādapathātivattīnaṁ, which is also plausible, but Ee visāradaṁ vādapathāti vuttaṁ is certainly mistaken.

6Consummate, having overcome everything,
he set in motion the wheel of Dhamma
out of compassion for all beings.
Beings pay homage to such a one,
the best among devas and humans,
who has gone beyond existence.

1"Cattārimāni, bhikkhave, tathāgatassa vesārajjāni, yehi vesārajjehi samannāgato tathāgato āsabhaṁ ṭhānaṁ paṭijānāti, parisāsu sīhanādaṁ nadati, brahmacakkaṁ pavatteti. Katamāni cattāri?

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‘"Sammāsambuddhassa te paṭijānato ime dhammā anabhisambuddhā"ti tatra vata maṁ samaṇo vā brāhmaṇo vā devo vā māro vā brahmā vā koci vā lokasmiṁ sahadhammena paṭicodessatī’ti nimittametaṁ, bhikkhave, na samanupassāmi. Etamahaṁ, bhikkhave, nimittaṁ asamanupassanto khemappatto abhayappatto vesārajjappatto viharāmi.

2‘"Khīṇāsavassa te paṭijānato ime āsavā aparikkhīṇā"ti tatra vata maṁ samaṇo vā brāhmaṇo vā devo vā māro vā brahmā vā koci vā lokasmiṁ sahadhammena paṭicodessatī’ti nimittametaṁ, bhikkhave, na samanupassāmi. Etamahaṁ, bhikkhave, nimittaṁ asamanupassanto khemappatto abhayappatto vesārajjappatto viharāmi.

3‘"Ye kho pana te antarāyikā dhammā vuttā te paṭisevato nālaṁ antarāyāyā"ti tatra vata maṁ samaṇo vā brāhmaṇo vā devo vā māro vā brahmā vā koci vā lokasmiṁ sahadhammena paṭicodessatī’ti nimittametaṁ, bhikkhave, na samanupassāmi. Etamahaṁ, bhikkhave, nimittaṁ asamanupassanto khemappatto abhayappatto vesārajjappatto viharāmi.

4‘"Yassa kho pana te atthāya dhammo desito so na niyyāti takkarassa sammā dukkhakkhayāyā"ti tatra vata maṁ samaṇo vā brāhmaṇo vā devo vā māro vā brahmā vā koci vā lokasmiṁ sahadhammena paṭicodessatī’ti nimittametaṁ, bhikkhave, na samanupassāmi. Etamahaṁ, bhikkhave, nimittaṁ asamanupassanto khemappatto abhayappatto vesārajjappatto viharāmi.

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Imāni kho, bhikkhave, cattāri tathāgatassa vesārajjāni, yehi vesārajjehi samannāgato tathāgato āsabhaṁ ṭhānaṁ paṭijānāti, parisāsu sīhanādaṁ nadati, brahmacakkaṁ pavattetīti.

5Ye kecime vādapathā puthussitā,
Yaṁnissitā samaṇabrāhmaṇā ca;
Tathāgataṁ patvā na te bhavanti,
Visāradaṁ vādapathātivattaṁ.

6Yo dhammacakkaṁ abhibhuyya kevalī,
Pavattayī sabbabhūtānukampī;
Taṁ tādisaṁ devamanussaseṭṭhaṁ,
Sattā namassanti bhavassa pāragun"ti.

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Aṭṭhamaṁ.