1Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Rājagaha in the Maddakucchi Deer Park. Now on that occasion the Blessed One's foot had been cut by a stone splinter. [n.86] The Buddha’s foot had been injured when his evil cousin Devadatta tried to murder him by hurling a boulder at him on Mount Vulture Peak. The boulder was deflected, but a splinter that broke off from it cut the Buddha’s foot and drew blood. The full story of Devadatta's evil schemes is related at Vin II 184–203; see too Ñāṇamoli, Life of the Buddha, chap. 13. This same incident forms the background to SN4.13 below. According to Spk, the seven hundred devas who came to see the Blessed One included all the devas of the Satullapa host. Severe pains assailed the Blessed One—bodily feelings that were painful, racking, sharp, piercing, harrowing, disagreeable. But the Blessed One endured them, mindful and clearly comprehending, without becoming distressed. Then the Blessed One had his outer robe folded in four, and he lay down on his right side in the lion posture with one leg overlapping the other, mindful and clearly comprehending.

2Then, when the night had advanced, seven hundred devatas belonging to the Satullapa host, of stunning beauty, illuminating the entire Maddakucchi Deer Park, approached the Blessed One. Having approached, they paid homage to the Blessed One and stood to one side.

Then one devata, standing to one side, uttered this inspired utterance in the presence of the Blessed One: sn.i.28 "The ascetic Gotama is indeed a nāga, sir! And when bodily feelings have arisen that are painful, racking, sharp, piercing, harrowing, disagreeable, through his nāga-like manner he endures them, mindful and clearly comprehending, without becoming distressed." [n.87] Spk: He is called a nāga on account of his strength (see n. 84); a lion (siha) on account of his fearlessness; a thoroughbred (ajaniya) on account of his familiarity with what he has learned (?byattaparicayaṭṭhena), or because he knows what is the right means and the wrong means; a chief bull (nisabha) because he is without a rival; a beast of burden (dhorayha) because of bearing the burden; tamed (danta) because he is free from deviant conduct. Spk glosses nagavata as nagabhavena. Geiger takes nagavata as the instrumental of the adjective nagavant used adverbially in the sense of a comparison (GermTr, p. 93). However, I follow Norman's suggestion (in a personal communication) that -vata here may be the Pali equivalent of Skt -vrata, in the sense of "sphere of action, function, mode or manner of life, vow" (MW). Ee2, based on a Lanna commentary, emends the text to read nago va ta ca pan’ uppanna saririka vedanā (and similarly in the parallel passages that follow); see Ee2, p. xviii. But I am doubtful that the text would switch so suddenly from metaphor (in the previous sentence) to simile, and then back to metaphor below.

3Then another devata uttered this inspired utterance in the presence of the Blessed One: "The ascetic Gotama is indeed a lion, sir! And when bodily feelings have arisen that are painful, racking, sharp, piercing, harrowing, disagreeable, through his leonine manner he endures them, mindful and clearly comprehending, without becoming distressed."

4Then another devata uttered this inspired utterance in the presence of the Blessed One: "The ascetic Gotama is indeed a thoroughbred, sir! And when bodily feelings have arisen that are painful … disagreeable, through his thoroughbred manner he endures them, mindful and clearly comprehending, without becoming distressed."

5Then another devata uttered this inspired utterance in the presence of the Blessed One: "The ascetic Gotama is indeed a chief bull, sir! And when bodily feelings have arisen that are painful … disagreeable, through his chief bull's manner he endures them, mindful and clearly comprehending, without becoming distressed."

6Then another devata uttered this inspired utterance in the presence of the Blessed One: "The ascetic Gotama is indeed a beast of burden, sir! And when bodily feelings have arisen that are painful … disagreeable, through his beast-of-burden's manner he endures them, mindful and clearly comprehending, without becoming distressed."

7Then another devata uttered this inspired utterance in the presence of the Blessed One: "The ascetic Gotama is indeed tamed, sir! And when bodily feelings have arisen that are painful, racking, sharp, piercing, harrowing, disagreeable, through his tamed manner he endures them, mindful and clearly comprehending, without becoming distressed."

8Then another devata uttered this inspired utterance in the presence of the Blessed One: "See his concentration well developed and his mind well liberated—not bent forward and not bent back, and not blocked and checked by forceful suppression! [n.88] I read with Se: Passa samādhiṁ subhavitaṁ cittañ ca suvimuttaṁ na cabhinataṁ na capanataṁ na ca sasaṅkhāraniggayhavaritavataṁ. Be is identical except that the final word in the compound is read as -gataṁ; Ee1 -caritavataṁ is clearly an error, rectified in PED, s.v. varitavata. Ee2 reads as in Se, but with niggayha taken as uncompounded, which leaves sasaṅkhara dangling. The same expression occurs elsewhere: at AN IV 428,9–10 the full formula is used to describe a samādhi called aññaphala, the fruit of final knowledge (or perhaps, "having final knowledge as its fruit"); sasaṅkhāraniggayhavaritavata, at AN I 254,34, describes a samādhi developed as the basis for the six abhiññā (probably the fourth jhāna); and at AN III 24,9, DN III 279,4, and Vibh 334,15, it characterizes a "right concentration of fivefold knowledge" (pañcañaṇika samma samādhi). In the present context, it seems, the expression qualifies cittaṁ, mind, though the mind has these qualities by virtue of the samādhi in which it is absorbed. At AN IV 428,9–10 and elsewhere the phrase clearly qualifies the samādhi. Spk (Se): The concentration is that of the fruit of arahantship (arahattaphalasamādhi). The mind is said to be well liberated (suvimuttaṁ) because it is liberated by the fruit. Not bent forward and not bent back: the mind accompanied by lust is said to be "bent forward" (abhinataṁ), that accompanied by hate to be ʺbent backʺ (apanataṁ) . Rejecting both, he speaks thus. Not blocked and checked by forceful suppression: It is not blocked and checked, having suppressed the defilements forcefully, with effort; rather, it is checked because the defilements have been cut off. The meaning is that it is concentrated by the concentration of fruition (na ca sasaṅkhāraniggayhavaritavatan ti na sasaṅkharena sappayogena kilese niggahetva varitavataṁ; kilesanaṁ pana chinnatta vataṁ, phalasamādhina samahitan ti attho). (N.B. While Spk (Be) reads -gataṁ in the lemma, it reads -vataṁ twice in the explanation.)
Spk-pṭ: This is not achieved, not fixed, forcefully, with effort, by way of abandoning in a particular respect or by way of abandoning through suppression as is the mundane-jhāna mind or insight; but rather (it is achieved) because the defilements have been completely cut off (lokiyajjhanacittaṁviya vipassanā viya ca sasaṅkharena sappayogena tadaṅgappahana-vikkhambhanappahanavasena ca vikkhambhetva na adhigataṁ na ṭhapitaṁ, kiñcarahi kilesanaṁ sabbaso chinnataya).
The Pali phrase is extremely difficult and the exact reading uncertain. Indeed, in the Central Asian Skt ms corresponding to DN III 279,4 (Waldschmidt, Sanskrittexte aus den Turfanfunden IV, p. 70, V.8 (3)), it is conspicuously absent. A Skt version in Śrav-bh (p. 444,19–21) reads varivad dhṛtaṁ, "maintained like water," which seems to me unlikely to correspond to the original reading.
Ee1 puts a hiatus after niggayha, and Ee2 separates it off entirely; the other eds. integrate niggayha into the long compound. There is no way to determine, on the basis of grammar alone, which is correct. Each attempt to resolve the expression into its elements gives rise to its own special problems, and even the aṭṭhakathas and ṭikas offer conflicting explanations, e.g., Sv III 1060,11–13 and Vibh-a 421,13–15 take niggayha to be absolutive (as does Spk) and turn varita into the absolutive varetva; their respective ṭikas, Sv-pṭ III 284,24–27 (Be) and Vibh-mṭ 205,16–18 (Be), take niggayha as the gerundive niggahetabba and varita as the gerundive varetabba. Since niggayha occurs elsewhere unambiguously as an absolutive (e.g., at MN III 118,4, interestingly, as here, without a direct object), while there seem to be no instances in canonical Pali of the word occurring as a gerundive, the aṭṭhakathas are more likely to be right. Norman questions this interpretation on the ground that there is no other known instance in Pali of an absolutive occurring as the second member of a compound (personal communication), but perhaps we should not rule out the possibility that we have such a construction here. I translate, however, in compliance with natural English idiom rather than in strict conformity with the syntax of the Pali.
Readings of the last part of the compound vary among the different traditions: in general varitavata prevails in the Sinhalese tradition, varitagata in the Burmese,with Burmese vv.ll. varivavata and varivavaṭa also recorded. Varita here is a past participle of the causative vareti, to block, to restrain. The terminal member of the compound could then be either vata or gata. Gata is clearly a past participle. Vata is more problematic. At KS 1:39, varitavataṁ is rendered "having the habit of self-denial." Apparently C.Rh.D understands vata as equivalent to Skt vrata. However, Spk's gloss, chinnatta vataṁ phalasamādhina samahitaṁ, suggests that we have a past participle here, and I would propose that vata represents Skt vṛta, which according to MW can mean "stopped, checked, held back." I cannot cite other occurrences of the simple participle vata in Pali, but prefixed forms are common enough: saṁvuta, nibbuta, vivaṭa, avaṭa, etc. Thus we would have here two past participles from the same root, one causative, the other simple, so that the compound varitavata would mean "blocked and checked" (unfortunately two distinct English verbs are needed to capture the nuances). Although this construction is certainly unusual, it need not be rejected out of hand, as it may have been used for special emphasis. If the reading gata is accepted, varitagata could mean "gone to (attained to) control," with varita taken as a noun of state. This certainly sounds more natural than varitavata, but the prevalence of vata in the textual tradition lends strong support to its authenticity. If anyone would think such a one could be violated—such a nāga of a man, such a lion of a man, sn.i.29 such a thoroughbred of a man, such a chief bull of a man, such a beast of burden of a man, such a tamed man—what is that due to apart from lack of vision?"

9v.125 Though brahmins learned in the five Vedas
Practise austerities for a hundred years,
Their minds are not rightly liberated:
Those of low nature do not reach the far shore. [n.89] It is not clear who is speaking these stanzas, and the verses themselves have no evident connection to the preceding prose portion of the sutta. It is possible they were annexed to the prose text by the redactors of the canon. I read pāda a as in Be, Se, and Ee2 thus: pañcaveda sataṁ samaṁ. The mention of five Vedas is strange but Spk explains: itihasapañcamanaṁ vedanāṁ, "the Vedas with the histories as a fifth." Spk glosses sataṁ samaṁ as vassasataṁ; Geiger is certainly wrong in rejecting this explanation (GermTr, p. 41, n. 3). Spk also glosses hinattarūpa as hinattasabhava and mentions a variant, hinattharūpa, glossed by Spk-pṭ as hinatthajatika parihnattha, ʺthose of low goals, those who have fallen away from the goal."

10v.126 They founder in craving, bound to vows and rules,
Practising rough austerity for a hundred years,
But their minds are not rightly liberated:
Those of low nature do not reach the far shore.

11v.127 There is no taming here for one fond of conceit,
Nor is there sagehood for the unconcentrated:
Though dwelling alone in the forest, heedless,
One cannot cross beyond the realm of Death.

12v.128 Having abandoned conceit, well concentrated,
With lofty mind, everywhere released:
While dwelling alone in the forest, diligent,
One can cross beyond the realm of Death.

1Evaṁ me sutaṁ—​ ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā rājagahe vihārati maddakucchismiṁ migadāye. Tena kho pana samayena bhagavato pādo sakalikāya khato hoti. Bhusā sudaṁ bhagavato vedanā vattanti sārīrikā vedanā dukkhā tibbā kharā kaṭukā asātā amanāpā; tā sudaṁ bhagavā sato sampajāno adhivāseti avihaññamāno. Atha kho bhagavā catugguṇaṁ saṅghāṭiṁ paññāpetvā dakkhiṇena passena sīhaseyyaṁ kappeti pāde pādaṁ accādhāya sato sampajāno.

2Atha kho sattasatā satullapakāyikā devatāyo abhikkantāya rattiyā abhikkantavaṇṇā kevalakappaṁ maddakucchiṁ obhāsetvā yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ aṭṭhaṁsu.

Ekamantaṁ ṭhitā kho ekā devatā bhagavato santike imaṁ udānaṁ udānesi: "nāgo vata, bho, samaṇo gotamo; nāgavatā ca samuppannā sārīrikā vedanā dukkhā tibbā kharā kaṭukā asātā amanāpā sato sampajāno adhivāseti avihaññamāno"ti.

3Atha kho aparā devatā bhagavato santike imaṁ udānaṁ udānesi: "sīho vata, bho, samaṇo gotamo; sīhavatā ca samuppannā sārīrikā vedanā dukkhā tibbā kharā kaṭukā asātā amanāpā sato sampajāno adhivāseti avihaññamāno"ti.

4Atha kho aparā devatā bhagavato santike imaṁ udānaṁ udānesi: "ājānīyo vata, bho, samaṇo gotamo; ājānīyavatā ca samuppannā sārīrikā vedanā dukkhā tibbā kharā kaṭukā asātā amanāpā sato sampajāno adhivāseti avihaññamāno"ti.

5Atha kho aparā devatā bhagavato santike imaṁ udānaṁ udānesi: "nisabho vata, bho, samaṇo gotamo; nisabhavatā ca samuppannā sārīrikā vedanā dukkhā tibbā kharā kaṭukā asātā amanāpā sato sampajāno adhivāseti avihaññamāno"ti.

6Atha kho aparā devatā bhagavato santike imaṁ udānaṁ udānesi: "dhorayho vata, bho, samaṇo gotamo; dhorayhavatā ca samuppannā sārīrikā vedanā dukkhā tibbā kharā kaṭukā asātā amanāpā sato sampajāno adhivāseti avihaññamāno"ti.

7Atha kho aparā devatā bhagavato santike imaṁ udānaṁ udānesi: "danto vata, bho, samaṇo gotamo; dantavatā ca samuppannā sārīrikā vedanā dukkhā tibbā kharā kaṭukā asātā amanāpā sato sampajāno adhivāseti avihaññamāno"ti.

8Atha kho aparā devatā bhagavato santike imaṁ udānaṁ udānesi: "passa samādhiṁ subhāvitaṁ cittañca suvimuttaṁ, na cābhinataṁ na cāpanataṁ na ca sasaṅkhāraniggayhavāritagataṁ. Yo evarūpaṁ purisanāgaṁ purisasīhaṁ purisaājānīyaṁ purisanisabhaṁ purisadhorayhaṁ purisadantaṁ atikkamitabbaṁ maññeyya kimaññatra adassanā"ti.