Nandanasutta

Evaṁ me sutaṁ— ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme. Tatra kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi: “bhikkhavo”ti. “Bhadante”ti te bhikkhū bhagavato paccassosuṁ. Bhagavā etadavoca:

So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. There the Buddha addressed the mendicants, “Mendicants!” “Venerable sir,” they replied. The Buddha said this:

“Bhūtapubbaṁ, bhikkhave, aññatarā tāvatiṁsakāyikā devatā nandane vane accharāsaṅghaparivutā dibbehi pañcahi kāmaguṇehi samappitā samaṅgībhūtā paricārayamānā tāyaṁ velāyaṁ imaṁ gāthaṁ abhāsi:

“Once upon a time, mendicants, a certain deity of the company of the thirty-three was amusing themselves in the Garden of Delight, escorted by a band of nymphs, and supplied and provided with the five kinds of heavenly sensual stimulation. On that occasion she spoke this verse:

‘Na te sukhaṁ pajānanti, ye na passanti nandanaṁ; Āvāsaṁ naradevānaṁ, tidasānaṁ yasassinan’ti.

‘They don’t know pleasure who don’t see the Garden of Delight! It’s the abode of lordly gods, the glorious host of Thirty!’

Evaṁ vutte, bhikkhave, aññatarā devatā taṁ devataṁ gāthāya paccabhāsi:

When they had spoken, another deity replied with this verse:

‘Na tvaṁ bāle pajānāsi, yathā arahataṁ vaco; Aniccā sabbasaṅkhārā, uppādavayadhammino; Uppajjitvā nirujjhanti, tesaṁ vūpasamo sukho’”ti.

‘Fool, don’t you understand the saying of the perfected ones: All conditions are impermanent, their nature is to rise and fall; having arisen, they cease; their settling is such bliss.’”