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investigation of phenomena, right view. The Blessed One is endowed, fully endowed, approached, fully approached, possessed, fully possessed, furnished with this intelligence, this wisdom. Therefore the Buddha is 'the wise one' – abandoning the eon, I entreat the wise one. 'Having heard the Nāga, they will depart from here.' 'Nāga' means Nāga. The Blessed One does no evil, therefore he is a Nāga; he does not go (to bad destinations), therefore he is a Nāga; he does not come (to rebirth)... thus the Blessed One does not go (to bad destinations), therefore he is a Nāga. 'Having heard the Nāga, they will depart from here' means having heard, having listened, having grasped, having considered, having observed your word, your declaration, your teaching, your instruction, your advice, they will depart from here, they will go, they will leave, they will go in various directions – having heard the Nāga, they will depart from here. Therefore that brahmin said – "Abandoning the home, cutting craving, unstirred, Abandoning delight, crossed the flood, liberated; Abandoning the eon, I entreat..." that, having heard Sumedha, they will depart from here, saying, 'He is a Nāga!'" 71. Various people from various lands are gathered, desiring your words, O Hero; To them, you should well explain, for truly, this Dhamma is known to you. "Various people from various lands are gathered"— "Various people" means Khattiyas and Brahmins, Vessas and Suddas, householders and renunciants, devas and humans. "From various lands are gathered" means from Anga and Magadha, from Kalinga and Kasi, from Kosala and Vajji, from Malla and Ceti, from Vamsa and Kuru, from Pañcala and Maccha, from Surasena and Assaka, from Avanti and Yona, from Kamboja. "Are gathered" means gathered, assembled, come together, met— various people from various lands are gathered. "Desiring your words, O Hero"— "Hero" means the Hero. The Blessed One is energetic, thus a Hero; he is mighty, thus a Hero; he is free from poison, thus a Hero; he is sufficient, thus a Hero; he is without goosebumps, thus a Hero. He is abstinent from all evils here, having overcome the suffering of hell, he is energetic; He is energetic, he is striving, such a steadfast one is called a Hero. "Desiring your words, O Hero" means desiring your speech, your discourse, your teaching, your instruction, your advice. "Desiring" means desiring, wishing, approving, longing for, yearning for, aspiring to— desiring your words, O Hero. "To them, you should well explain"— "To them" means to those Khattiyas, Brahmins, Vessas, Suddas, householders, renunciants, devas, humans. "You" refers to the Blessed One. "Should well explain" means should well declare, teach, make known, establish, unfold, analyze, make clear, reveal— to them, you should well explain. "For truly, this Dhamma is known to you"— "For truly, this Dhamma is known to you" means for truly, this Dhamma is known to you, weighed, judged, manifested, made clear— for truly, this Dhamma is known to you. Therefore, that Brahmin said— "Various people from various lands..." gathered from various places, desiring your word, O hero; To them you should well explain, for indeed this Dhamma is known to you. 72. All craving for grasping should be removed, [Bhadrāvudha, said the Blessed One] Above, below, across, and in the middle; Whatever one grasps in the world, By that very thing Māra follows the being. "All craving for grasping should be removed" – craving for grasping is called craving for form... Why is it called craving for grasping? By that craving, one grasps, clings to, seizes, takes hold of, becomes obsessed with form. Feeling... perception... mental formations... consciousness... destiny... rebirth... re-linking... existence... wandering-on... the cycle of existence one grasps, clings to, seizes, takes hold of, becomes obsessed with. For that reason, it is called craving for grasping. "All craving for grasping should be removed" means all craving for grasping should be removed, eradicated, abandoned, dispelled, made to cease, made to go out of existence – "all craving for grasping should be removed." "Bhadrāvudha, said the Blessed One." The Blessed One addresses that brahmin by name, "Bhadrāvudha." "Blessed One" is a term of respect... a true designation, namely, "Blessed One" – "Bhadrāvudha, said the Blessed One." "Above, below, across, and in the middle." "Above" means the future; "below" means the past; "across and in the middle" means the present. "Above" means the deva world; "below" means the hell world; "across and in the middle" means the human world. Or, "above" means wholesome states; "below" means unwholesome states; "across and in the middle" means indeterminate states. "Above" means the formless realm; "below" means the sense-sphere realm; "across and in the middle" means the form realm. "Above" means pleasant feeling; "below" means painful feeling; "across and in the middle" means neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling. "Above" means above the soles of the feet; "below" means below the tips of the hair; "across and in the middle" means in between – "above, below, across, and in the middle." "Whatever one grasps in the world" means whatever pertains to form, pertains to feeling, pertains to perception, pertains to mental formations... That which has entered consciousness they take up, they cling, they grasp, they seize, they adhere. In the world, in the woeful planes... ...in the world of sense bases – whatever indeed they cling to in the world. By that, Māra pursues the being. By that, by means of karmic formations leading to rebirth, the Māra of aggregates, the Māra of elements, the Māra of sense bases, the Māra of destinations, the Māra of rebirth, the Māra of re-linking, the Māra of existence, the Māra of transmigration, the Māra of the cycle of existence, pursues, follows, becomes a follower. "Being" means a creature, a person, a man, a youth, a male, an individual, a living being, a born one, a being, a lord of the senses, a human. By that, Māra pursues the being. Therefore the Blessed One said: "Remove all craving for taking, (O Bhadrāvudha, said the Blessed One) above, below, across, and also in the middle; Whatever indeed they cling to in the world, by that Māra pursues the being." 73. Therefore, one who knows should not cling, a mindful monk to anything in the whole world; Seeing beings thus clinging, this populace entangled in the realm of death. "Therefore, one who knows should not cling." "Therefore" means for that reason, for that cause, for that condition, for that origin, seeing this danger in the craving for taking – therefore. "One who knows" means knowing, understanding, comprehending, discerning, penetrating, realizing that "all formations are impermanent"... ...that "whatever is of the nature to arise, all that is of the nature to cease" – knowing, understanding, comprehending, discerning, penetrating, realizing. "Should not cling" means should not take up, should not cling, should not grasp, should not seize, should not adhere to form; to feeling... to perception... to formations... to consciousness... to destination... to rebirth... to re-linking... to existence... to transmigration... to the cycle of existence – should not take up, should not cling, should not grasp, should not seize, should not adhere – therefore, one who knows should not cling. "A mindful monk to anything in the whole world." "Monk" means either a virtuous ordinary person monk, or a trainee monk. "Mindful" means mindful for four reasons – developing mindfulness of the body as body contemplation... O mindful... he is called mindful – the bhikkhu is mindful. Anything means anything pertaining to form, pertaining to feeling, pertaining to perception, pertaining to mental formations, pertaining to consciousness. In all the world means in all the realms of misery, in all the human world, in all the divine world, in all the world of aggregates, in all the world of elements, in all the world of sense bases – the bhikkhu is mindful of anything in all the world. Looking at beings who grasp means beings who grasp are called those who grasp and cling to, seize, cling to, and are obsessed with form; feeling... perception... mental formations... consciousness... destiny... rebirth... re-linking... existence... wandering... the cycle of existence – they grasp and cling to, seize, cling to, and are obsessed with. Thus means the connection of words... the sequence of words, thus. Looking means looking, seeing, observing, watching, gazing, contemplating, examining – looking at beings who grasp. This populace stuck in the realm of death. Populace is a term for beings. The realm of death refers to defilements, aggregates, and volitional formations. The populace, in the realm of death, in the realm of Māra, in the realm of mortality, are stuck, attached, clinging, entangled, bound. Just as goods are stuck, attached, clinging, entangled, bound to a wall-peg or an elephant's tusk, even so is the populace stuck, attached, clinging, entangled, bound in the realm of death, in the realm of Māra, in the realm of mortality – this populace stuck in the realm of death. Therefore the Blessed One said – “Therefore, for beings, one should not grasp, The bhikkhu is mindful of anything in all the world; Looking at beings who grasp, This populace stuck in the realm of death.” With the conclusion of the verse... “My teacher, venerable sir, is the Blessed One; I am his disciple.” The Twelfth Explanation of Bhadrāvudha’s Questions. 13. The Explanation of Udaya’s Questions To the meditator, stainless, seated, [Thus spoke the venerable Udaya] Who has done his task, without defilements; Who has gone beyond all phenomena, I have come with a question; Please declare the liberation by knowledge, The breaking up of ignorance. him. "The Meditator, Stainless, Seated." "Meditator" means the Blessed One is a meditator.