Sutta Nipāta

Discourse to Dhaniya

“I have prepared cooked rice and fresh milk,”

said Dhaniya the Cowherd,

“I stay constantly at the shore of the great river,

“I have a closed hut with a fire kindled;

“So if the angels wish, they can make it rain.”

“I have no anger and no corruption,”

said the Buddha,

“I stay one night at the shore of the great river,

“I have an open hut with the fire extinguished;

“So if the angels wish, they can make it rain.”

“There are no gadflies or mosquitoes,”

said Dhaniya the Cowherd,

“In the marshes and meadows where the cattle roam,

“When it rained in the past, they could endure;

“So if the angels wish, they can make it rain.”

“The raft was assembled and well-contructed,”

said the Buddha,

“It crossed over to the far shore, it went past the deluge;

“I have no need of a raft;

“So if the angels wish, they can make it rain.”

“My cowherd-woman listens and is prudent,”

said Dhaniya the Cowherd,

“For a long time, she has been a pleasant co-resident,

“I have never heard anything evil from her;

“So if the angels wish, they can make it rain.”

“My mind is unpolluted and liberated,”

said the Buddha,

“For a long time, it has been thoroughly developed and well-trained,

“No evil can be found in me;

“So if the angels wish, they can make it rain.”

“I have a servant that I hired myself,”

said Dhaniya the Cowherd,

“My children are all equally healthy,

“I have never heard anything evil from them;

“So if the angels wish, they can make it rain.”

“I am not the servant of anyone,”

said the Buddha,

“I travel the entire world with what I have gained,

“I have no need of wages;

“So if the angels wish, they can make it rain.”

“There is a cow and a suckling calf,”

said Dhaniya the Cowherd,

“There is the herd-mother with her offspring,

“The father-bull as well;

“So if the angels wish, they can make it rain.”

“There is no cow and no suckling calf,”

said the Buddha,

“No herd-mother and no offspring,

“And no father-bull as well;

“So if the angels wish, they can make it rain.”

“The post is firmly entrenched and does not wobble,”

said Dhaniya the Cowherd,

“The ropes are made of new and well-made twine,

“It is not possible for the calves to break them;

“So if the angels wish, they can make it rain.”

“Like a bull that has broken its bonds,”

said the Buddha,

“Like an elephant that has burst through rotten vines,

“I will never again enter a womb;

“So if the angels wish, they can make it rain.”

Flooding both the low ground and the high ground,

a great raincloud poured down rain.

After hearing the rain from the angels,

Dhaniya spoke about this:

“It is a gain for us, and not a small one,

“That we have seen the Buddha;

“I take refuge in the Seer,

“Great Sage, be our teacher.

“I am a cow-herd, and I listen,

“I will live the spiritual life following the Sublime One,

“To go beyond birth and death,

“And bring suffering to an end.”

“One who has children delights because of their children,”

said Māra the Evil One,

“One who has cattle delights because of their cattle,

“Possessions are the delight of a person,

“One who has no possessions has no delight.”

“One who has children sorrows because of their children,”

said the Buddha,

“One who has cattle sorrows because of their cattle,

“Possessions are the the sorrow of a person,

“One who has no possessions has no sorrow.”