1At Sāvatthī. Now on that occasion five kings headed by King Pasenadi were enjoying themselves supplied and endowed with the five cords of sensual pleasure when this conversation arose among them: "What is the chief of sensual pleasures?"[n.224] Spk does not identify the other four kings. The fact that they are designated raja does not necessarily imply they were rulers of independent states on a par with Pasenadi, though the mutual use of the address marisa suggests they enjoyed parity of status with him.

1Sāvatthinidānaṁ. Tena kho pana samayena pañcannaṁ rājūnaṁ pasenadipamukhānaṁ pañcahi kāmaguṇehi samappitānaṁ samaṅgībhūtānaṁ paricārayamānānaṁ ayamantarākathā udapādi: "Kiṁ nu kho kāmānaṁ aggan"ti? Tatrekacce evamāhaṁsu: "rūpā kāmānaṁ aggan"ti. Ekacce evamāhaṁsu: "saddā kāmānaṁ aggan"ti. Ekacce evamāhaṁsu: "gandhā kāmānaṁ aggan"ti.

Some among them said: "Forms are the chief of sensual pleasures." Some said: "Sounds are the chief." Some: "Odours are the chief." Some: "Tastes are the chief." Some: sn.i.80 "Tactile objects are the chief."[n.225] The Pali uses the plural ekacce with each assertion, but it is evident from the context that each assertion was made by only one king.

Ekacce evamāhaṁsu: "rasā kāmānaṁ aggan"ti. Ekacce evamāhaṁsu: "phoṭṭhabbā kāmānaṁ aggan"ti. Yato kho te rājāno nāsakkhiṁsu aññamaññaṁ saññāpetuṁ.

2Since those kings were unable to convince one another, King Pasenadi of Kosala said to them: "Come, dear sirs, let us approach the Blessed One and question him about this matter. As the Blessed One answers us, so we should remember it."

2Atha kho rājā pasenadi kosalo te rājāno etadavoca: "āyāma, mārisā, yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkamissāma; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ etamatthaṁ paṭipucchissāma. Yathā no bhagavā byākarissati tathā naṁ dhāressāmā"ti.

"Evaṁ, mārisā"ti kho te rājāno rañño pasenadissa kosalassa paccassosuṁ.

"All right, dear sir," those kings replied.

3Then those five kings, headed by King Pasenadi, approached the Blessed One, paid homage to him, and sat down to one side. King Pasenadi then reported their entire discussion to the Blessed One, asking: "What now, venerable sir, is the chief of sensual pleasures?"

3Atha kho te pañca rājāno pasenadipamukhā yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkamiṁsu; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdiṁsu. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho rājā pasenadi kosalo bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: "idha, bhante, amhākaṁ pañcannaṁ rājūnaṁ pañcahi kāmaguṇehi samappitānaṁ samaṅgībhūtānaṁ paricārayamānānaṁ ayamantarākathā udapādi: ‘kiṁ nu kho kāmānaṁ aggan’ti? Ekacce evamāhaṁsu: ‘rūpā kāmānaṁ aggan’ti. Ekacce evamāhaṁsu: ‘saddā kāmānaṁ aggan’ti. Ekacce evamāhaṁsu: ‘gandhā kāmānaṁ aggan’ti. Ekacce evamāhaṁsu: ‘rasā kāmānaṁ aggan’ti. Ekacce evamāhaṁsu: ‘phoṭṭhabbā kāmānaṁ aggan’ti. Kiṁ nu kho, bhante, kāmānaṁ aggan"ti?

4"Great king, I say that what is chief among the five cords of sensual pleasure is determined by whatever is most agreeable. [n.226] Manāpapariyantaṁ khvāhaṁ mahārāja pañcasu kāmaguṇesu aggan ti vadāmi. My rendering expands slightly on the compressed Pali idiom. Spk glosses manāpapariyantaṁ by manāpanipphattiṁ manapakoṭikaṁ. Spk-pṭ: Whatever a person cherishes, being in his view the chief, is presented by him as the culmination, as the ultimate. Those same forms that are agreeable to one person, great king, are disagreeable to another. When one is pleased and completely satisfied with certain forms, then one does not yearn for any other form higher or more sublime than those forms. For him those forms are then supreme; for him those forms are unsurpassed.

4"Manāpapariyantaṁ khvāhaṁ, mahārāja, pañcasu kāmaguṇesu agganti vadāmi. Teva, mahārāja, rūpā ekaccassa manāpā honti, teva rūpā ekaccassa amanāpā honti. Yehi ca yo rūpehi attamano hoti paripuṇṇasaṅkappo, so tehi rūpehi aññaṁ rūpaṁ uttaritaraṁ vā paṇītataraṁ vā na pattheti. Te tassa rūpā paramā honti. Te tassa rūpā anuttarā honti.

5–8"Those same sounds … Those same odours … Those same tastes … … Those same tactile objects that are agreeable to one person, great king, are disagreeable to another. sn.i.81 When one is pleased and completely satisfied with certain tactile objects, then one does not yearn for any other tactile object higher or more sublime than those tactile objects. For him those tactile objects are then supreme; for him those tactile objects are unsurpassed."

5Teva, mahārāja, saddā ekaccassa manāpā honti, teva saddā ekaccassa amanāpā honti. Yehi ca yo saddehi attamano hoti paripuṇṇasaṅkappo, so tehi saddehi aññaṁ saddaṁ uttaritaraṁ vā paṇītataraṁ vā na pattheti. Te tassa saddā paramā honti. Te tassa saddā anuttarā honti.

6Teva, mahārāja, gandhā ekaccassa manāpā honti, teva gandhā ekaccassa amanāpā honti. Yehi ca yo gandhehi attamano hoti paripuṇṇasaṅkappo, so tehi gandhehi aññaṁ gandhaṁ uttaritaraṁ vā paṇītataraṁ vā na pattheti. Te tassa gandhā paramā honti. Te tassa gandhā anuttarā honti.

7Teva, mahārāja, rasā ekaccassa manāpā honti, teva rasā ekaccassa amanāpā honti. Yehi ca yo rasehi attamano hoti paripuṇṇasaṅkappo, so tehi rasehi aññaṁ rasaṁ uttaritaraṁ vā paṇītataraṁ vā na pattheti. Te tassa rasā paramā honti. Te tassa rasā anuttarā honti.

8Teva, mahārāja, phoṭṭhabbā ekaccassa manāpā honti, teva phoṭṭhabbā ekaccassa amanāpā honti. Yehi ca yo phoṭṭhabbehi attamano hoti paripuṇṇasaṅkappo, so tehi phoṭṭhabbehi aññaṁ phoṭṭhabbaṁ uttaritaraṁ vā paṇītataraṁ vā na pattheti. Te tassa phoṭṭhabbā paramā honti. Te tassa phoṭṭhabbā anuttarā hontī"ti.

9Now on that occasion the lay follower Candanaṅgalika was sitting in that assembly. Then the lay follower Candanaṅgalika rose from his seat, arranged his upper robe over one shoulder, and, raising his joined hands in reverential salutation towards the Blessed One, said to him: "An inspiration has come to me, Blessed One! An inspiration has come to me, Fortunate One!"

9Tena kho pana samayena candanaṅgaliko upāsako tassaṁ parisāyaṁ nisinno hoti. Atha kho candanaṅgaliko upāsako uṭṭhāyāsanā ekaṁsaṁ uttarāsaṅgaṁ karitvā yena bhagavā tenañjaliṁ paṇāmetvā bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: "paṭibhāti maṁ, bhagavā, paṭibhāti maṁ, sugatā"ti.

"Paṭibhātu taṁ, candanaṅgalikā"ti bhagavā avoca.

"Then express your inspiration, Candanaṅgalika," the Blessed One said.[n.227] Paṭibhāti maṁ bhagavā, paṭibhāti maṁ sugata. The same verb paṭibhāti is used by both the interlocutor and the Buddha (by the latter, as the imperative paṭibhatu,) but I have varied the rendering slightly in each case as befits the speaker's situation. This type of exchange occurs repeatedly at 8:5–11 below; SN8.8 (I 193,3–4), which contrasts ṭhānaso paṭibhanti with pubbe parivitakkita, "premeditated," indicates the exact nuance of the verb in such a context; see too n. 143. The lay follower Candanaṅgalika is not met elsewhere in the canon. Apparently he had been inspired because he had seen how the Buddha’s glory surpassed that of the five kings.

10Then the lay follower Candanaṅgalika, in the presence of the Blessed One, extolled him with an appropriate verse:

10Atha kho candanaṅgaliko upāsako bhagavato sammukhā tadanurūpāya gāthāya abhitthavi: 

12Then those five kings bestowed five upper robes upon the lay follower Candanaṅgalika. But the lay follower Candanaṅgalika bestowed those five upper robes upon the Blessed One.

12Atha kho te pañca rājāno candanaṅgalikaṁ upāsakaṁ pañcahi uttarāsaṅgehi acchādesuṁ. Atha kho candanaṅgaliko upāsako tehi pañcahi uttarāsaṅgehi bhagavantaṁ acchādesīti.