1At Sāvatthī. "Bhikkhus, in the past, when Sakka, lord of the devas, was a human being, he adopted and undertook seven vows by the undertaking of which he achieved the status of Sakka. [n.634] Spk glosses samattani with paripuṇṇani and samadinnani with gahitani. Evidently Spk assumes that samatta here is equivalent to Skt samapta. But the participle samatta can represent either Skt samapta or samatta, and from its placement before samadinnani in the present passage, I take samattani in the latter sense. Both samatta and samadinna are alternative past participle formations of sam + a + da. PED does not mention this derivation, but only that from Skt samapta (and from Skt samasta, not relevant here). For the derivation from samatta, see Nidd I 289,16–18; for the derivation from samapta, see Nidd I 65,9–11. What were the seven vows?

(1) "‘As long as I live may I support my parents.’

(2) "‘As long as I live may I respect the family elders.’

(3) "‘As long as I live may I speak gently.’

(4) "‘As long as I live may I not speak divisively.’

(5) "‘As long as I live may I dwell at home with a mind devoid of the stain of stinginess, freely generous, open-handed, delighting in relinquishment, devoted to charity, [n.635] Although the form yacayoga prevails in the Pali textual tradition, it is likely that the original compound was yajayoga, recognized as a v.l. at Vism 224,11–12 (Ppn 7:112). I translate on the basis of this reading, which means literally "devoted to sacrifice," a brahmanical notion reinterpreted by the Buddha to mean self-sacrifice through the practice of charity (see vv. 395–96). Since charity (yaja) is directed to supplicants (yacaka), the variant yacayoga could have arisen through substitution of object for act; see GD, p. 241, n. to p. 87,2. delighting in giving and sharing.’

(6) "‘As long as I live may I speak the truth.’

(7) "‘As long as I live may I be free from anger, and if anger should arise in me may I dispel it quickly.’

"In the past, bhikkhus, when Sakka, lord of the devas, was a human being, he adopted and undertook these seven vows by the undertaking of which he achieved the status of Sakka.

1Sāvatthiyaṁ. "Sakkassa, bhikkhave, devānamindassa pubbe manussabhūtassa satta vatapadāni samattāni samādinnāni ahesuṁ, yesaṁ samādinnattā sakko sakkattaṁ ajjhagā. Katamāni satta vatapadāni?

Yāvajīvaṁ mātāpettibharo assaṁ,

yāvajīvaṁ kule jeṭṭhāpacāyī assaṁ,

yāvajīvaṁ saṇhavāco assaṁ,

yāvajīvaṁ apisuṇavāco assaṁ,

yāvajīvaṁ vigatamalamaccherena cetasā agāraṁ ajjhāvaseyyaṁ muttacāgo payatapāṇi vossaggarato yācayogo dānasaṁvibhāgarato,

yāvajīvaṁ saccavāco assaṁ,

yāvajīvaṁ akkodhano assaṁ – sacepi me kodho uppajjeyya, khippameva naṁ paṭivineyyanti.

Sakkassa, bhikkhave, devānamindassa pubbe manussabhūtassa imāni satta vatapadāni samattāni samādinnāni ahesuṁ, yesaṁ samādinnattā sakko sakkattaṁ ajjhagāti.