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Tidipa

4. Vipassīsamaññā (The Naming of Vipassī)

· 15 min read

King Bandhumā rewards the fortune tellers and provides nurses and three seasonal palaces for the newborn Prince Vipassī, who is named Vipassī for his unblinking gaze and his methodical judgement of cases; the first bhāṇavāra of the Mahāpadānasutta (7D/1) ends. Translated from the Dīgha Nikāya.

Original text: 7D/1.4 Vipassīsamaññā 85–91 in the World Tipitaka Edition

Summary

Section titled “Summary”

The naming of Vipassī: the edition’s division Vipassīsamaññā, which closes the first bhāṇavāra (section for recitation). King Bandhumā rewards the brahmin fortune tellers and provides nurses for the newborn prince, who is dear to many, sweet-voiced like the karavīka bird, and sees a yojana around by day and by night. Because he looks on unblinking, and later decides cases methodically from his father’s lap, the designation ‘Vipassī’ arises for him. The king builds him three palaces for the seasons, and he lives there amid the five strands of sensual pleasure.

Diagram

Section titled “Diagram”
flowchart TB
    A["The fortune tellers rewarded"] --> B["Nurses for the newborn prince"]
    B --> C["Dear and agreeable to many"]
    C --> D["A voice like the karavīka bird"]
    D --> E["The divine eye: a yojana all around"]
    E --> F["He looks on unblinking"]
    F --> G["Named Vipassī"]
    G --> H["Decides cases on his father's lap"]
    H --> I["Named Vipassī all the more"]
    I --> J["Three palaces for the seasons"]
    J --> K["The five strands of sensual pleasure"]

Text

Section titled “Text”

(37.)

85. Then, Bhikkhave, King Bandhumā had the brahmin fortune tellers clothed in new cloths and satisfied them with all sensual pleasures. Then, Bhikkhave, King Bandhumā provided nurses for Prince Vipassī. Some gave him milk to drink, others bathed him, others held him, others carried him about on the hip. And when Prince Vipassī was born, Bhikkhave, a white parasol was held over him by day and by night, [with the thought:] ‘Let neither cold nor heat nor grass nor dust nor dew trouble him.’ And when he was born, Bhikkhave, Prince Vipassī was dear and agreeable to many people. Just as, Bhikkhave, a blue water lily or a pink lotus or a white lotus is dear and agreeable to many people; so too, Bhikkhave, Prince Vipassī was dear and agreeable to many people. Indeed he was passed from lap to lap.

(38.)

86. And when he was born, Bhikkhave, Prince Vipassī had a sweet voice, a beautiful voice, a charming voice and an endearing voice. Just as, Bhikkhave, in the Himalaya mountains the species of bird called karavīka (Indian cuckoo) has a sweet voice, a beautiful voice, a charming voice and an endearing voice; so too, Bhikkhave, Prince Vipassī had a sweet voice, a beautiful voice, a charming voice and an endearing voice.

(39.)

87. And when Prince Vipassī was born, Bhikkhave, there arose for him the dibbacakkhu (divine eye), caused by the effect of actions, by which he saw all around for a yojana (about twenty kilometres) by day and by night.

(40.)

88. And when he was born, Bhikkhave, Prince Vipassī looked on unblinking, just like the Tāvatiṃsa gods. ‘The prince looks on unblinking’: thus, Bhikkhave, the designation ‘Vipassī, Vipassī’ arose for Prince Vipassī.

(41.)

89. Then, Bhikkhave, King Bandhumā, seated in the court, had Prince Vipassī sit on his lap and judged cases. There, Bhikkhave, Prince Vipassī, seated on his father’s lap, scrutinising them again and again, decided cases methodically. ‘Scrutinising them again and again, the prince decides cases methodically’: thus, Bhikkhave, the designation ‘Vipassī, Vipassī’ arose for Prince Vipassī in even greater measure.

(42.)

90. Then, Bhikkhave, King Bandhumā had three palaces built for Prince Vipassī: one for the rainy season, one for the winter, one for the summer; and he provided the five kāmaguṇā (strands of sensual pleasure). There, Bhikkhave, for four months in the rainy-season palace, being entertained by female musicians, Prince Vipassī did not descend to the lower palace.

91. The first bhāṇavāra (section for recitation).

Commentary

Section titled “Commentary”
  • The division derives the designation vipassī, “one who sees distinctly” (DPD), twice: from the prince’s unblinking gaze (88) and from his scrutiny (viceyya viceyya) of the cases he decides on his father’s lap (89).
  • dibbacakkhu is “divine eye”, as in the Saṅgītisutta’s three eyes and buddhavacana’s gradual training (https://buddhavacana.github.io/sutta/gradual/); the DPD’s first meaning is “clairvoyance”, and the text itself calls it kammavipākaja, caused by the effect of actions.
  • The three seasonal palaces and the female musicians (90) are the sentence of Yasa’s youth on Pabbajjākathā and of the Bhagavā’s own on buddhavacana’s biography page (https://buddhavacana.github.io/buddha/biography/), kept in that wording.
  • kāmaguṇā “strands of sensual pleasure” follows that biography page; the Pāsarāsi page has “objects of sensual desire”.
  • aṅka is “hip” where the nurses carry the prince about (85) and “lap” where the king seats him (89); the DPD gives both.

Go to previous page (3. Dvattiṃsamahāpurisalakkhaṇā (The Thirty-two Marks of a Great Man)) / Go to parent page (Mahāpadānasutta) / Go to next page (5. Jiṇṇapurisa to Bodhisattapabbajjā (The Old Man, the Sick Man, the Dead Man, the Renunciant, and the Bodhisatta’s Going Forth))

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