1Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Venerable Mahakaccana was dwelling among the people of Avanti on Mount Papata at Kuraraghara. sn.iii.13 Then the householder Haliddakani approached the Venerable Mahakaccana, paid homage to him, sat down to one side, and said to him:

1Evaṁ me sutaṁ—​ ekaṁ samayaṁ āyasmā mahākaccāno avantīsu vihārati kuraraghare papāte pabbate. Atha kho hāliddikāni gahapati yenāyasmā mahākaccāno … pe … ekamantaṁ nisinno kho hāliddikāni gahapati āyasmantaṁ mahākaccānaṁ etadavoca: 

"Venerable sir, this was said by the Blessed One in ‘The Questions of Sakka’:[n.27] The quote is from DN II 283,9–13, but the words seṭṭha devamanussanaṁ are not found there. They are, however, attached to the partly parallel statement, also addressed to Sakka, at MN I 252,3–5. ‘Those ascetics and brahmins who are liberated in the extinction of craving are those who have reached the ultimate end, the ultimate security from bondage, the ultimate holy life, the ultimate goal, and are best among devas and humans.’[n.28] Spk: "Liberated in the extinction of craving (taṇhāsaṅkhayavimuttā): Liberated in Nibbāna, the extinction of craving, by the liberation of the fruit, which takes Nibbāna as object." This explanation, it seems, is supported by the texts. While simple khaya, in relation to vimutta, usually occurs in the ablative (see e.g. MN III 31,1–2 foll.), saṇkhaya is in the locative (e.g., at SN4.25: anuttare upadhisaṅkhaye vimutto).

"vuttamidaṁ, bhante, bhagavatā sakkapañhe: ‘ye te samaṇabrāhmaṇā taṇhāsaṅkhayavimuttā, te accantaniṭṭhā accantayogakkhemino accantabrahmacārino accantapariyosānā seṭṭhā devamanussānan’ti.

2How, venerable sir, should the meaning of this, stated in brief by the Blessed One, be understood in detail?"

2Imassa nu kho, bhante, bhagavatā saṅkhittena bhāsitassa kathaṁ vitthārena attho daṭṭhabbo"ti?

3"Householder, through the destruction, fading away, cessation, giving up, and relinquishment of desire, lust, delight, craving, engagement and clinging, mental standpoints, adherences, and underlying tendencies towards the form element, the mind is said to be well liberated.

3"Rūpadhātuyā kho, gahapati, yo chando yo rāgo yā nandī yā taṇhā ye upayupādānā cetaso adhiṭṭhānābhinivesānusayā, tesaṁ khayā virāgā nirodhā cāgā paṭinissaggā ‘cittaṁ suvimuttanti’ vuccati.

4"Through the destruction, fading away, cessation, giving up, and relinquishment of desire, lust, delight, craving, engagement and clinging, mental standpoints, adherences, and underlying tendencies towards the feeling element … the perception element … the volitional formations element … the consciousness element, the mind is said to be well liberated.

4Vedanādhātuyā kho, gahapati … saññādhātuyā kho, gahapati … saṅkhāradhātuyā kho, gahapati … viññāṇadhātuyā kho, gahapati, yo chando yo rāgo yā nandī yā taṇhā ye upayupādānā cetaso adhiṭṭhānābhinivesānusayā, tesaṁ khayā virāgā nirodhā cāgā paṭinissaggā ‘cittaṁ suvimuttanti’ vuccati.

5"Thus, householder, when it was said by the Blessed One in ‘The Questions of Sakka’: ‘Those ascetics and brahmins who are liberated in the extinction of craving are those who have reached the ultimate end, the ultimate security from bondage, the ultimate holy life, the ultimate goal, and are best among devas and humans’

5Iti kho, gahapati, yaṁ taṁ vuttaṁ bhagavatā sakkapañhe: ‘ye te samaṇabrāhmaṇā taṇhāsaṅkhayavimuttā te accantaniṭṭhā accantayogakkhemino accantabrahmacārino accantapariyosānā seṭṭhā devamanussānan’ti.

6It is in such a way that the meaning of this, stated in brief by the Blessed One, should be understood in detail."

6Imassa kho, gahapati, bhagavatā saṅkhittena bhāsitassa evaṁ vitthārena attho daṭṭhabbo"ti.

Catutthaṁ.