Near Sāvatthī, in Jeta’s Grove — the same recurring circumstances as this vagga's other nine discourses
Speakers
An unnamed deity and the Buddha, this time in a two-stanza reply rather than one
Form
A four-line question, answered by two four-line stanzas continuing one thought
Length
~1.5 minutes to read
Difficulty
★★☆☆☆ — simple in its central image, though the closing simile gives this vagga its name
Closing the chapter
This is the tenth and last discourse of the Naḷavagga (‘the Chapter on a Reed’), which takes its name from this discourse's final line
Why this discourse
A deity asks a simple, almost curious question: wilderness-dwelling renunciants, peaceful and eating only one meal a day, nonetheless have a notably clear complexion — why? The Buddha's answer, unusually given in two stanzas rather than the vagga's usual one, locates the reason not in diet or setting but in relationship to time: those who neither grieve the past nor long for the future, living on whatever the present day brings, keep a clear complexion; those who do long and grieve wither away ‘like a green reed mowed down’ — the very image this vagga, the Naḷavagga, takes its name from.
Reading guide
A question about appearances
The deity's question is concrete and almost domestic: people eating one meal a day in the wilderness would seem, by ordinary reasoning, to look drawn and worn — instead their complexion is clear. The question asks for the cause of an effect anyone could observe.
The answer is temporal, not dietary
The Buddha's answer does not address diet or asceticism directly. Instead it names a relationship to time: not grieving the past (atītaṁ nānusocanti), not longing for the future (nappajappanti anāgataṁ), and living on whatever the present day brings (paccuppannena yāpenti). Clarity of complexion, in this verse, is the visible mark of an undivided relationship to the present.
The reed that gives this vagga its name
The second stanza states the reverse case in a single memorable image: those who long for the future and grieve the past ‘wither away, like a green reed mowed down’ (naḷova harito luto). This simile is the source of this vagga's own name, Naḷavagga, ‘the Chapter on a Reed’ — the whole chapter is named after the closing image of its final discourse.
A two-stanza reply, unusual in this vagga
Every other discourse in this vagga answers a deity's four-line verse with exactly one four-line verse of its own. This discourse's answer runs to two full stanzas, elaborating the same thought — presence versus longing and grief — before it closes. Nothing in the text explains the extension; it simply gives the vagga's closing discourse more room than its others.
An unmarked closing verse
In the source text, this discourse is followed immediately by two lines marking the end of the Naḷavagga and a mnemonic verse (uddāna) listing all ten of its discourse-titles in order — standard bookkeeping for reciters, not part of the discourse itself, and left untranslated in this edition. It is described here rather than quoted, following this project's practice of not putting untranslated source lines into the text panel.
Key terms
araññe viharataṁ — “for those dwelling in the wilderness” — the deity's opening description, naming the setting this discourse's title and this vagga's closing image both draw on.
atītaṁ nānusocanti — “they don't grieve for the past” — the first half of the Buddha's answer, describing an undivided relationship to time.
paccuppannena yāpenti — “they feed on whatever comes that day” — living on the present moment, given as the specific cause of a clear complexion.
naḷova harito luto — “like a green reed mowed down” — the discourse's closing simile, and the source of this vagga's own name, Naḷavagga.
vaṇṇo pasīdati — “the complexion becomes clear” — the specific effect the deity asks about and the Buddha's two stanzas explain.
The text
The discourse in full: a question about clear complexion, answered in two stanzas on grief, longing, and the present. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1At Sāvatthī. Standing to one side, that deity addressed the Buddha in verse:
§2“Living in the wilderness, peaceful spiritual practitioners eat just one meal a day: so why is their complexion so clear?”
§3“They don’t grieve for the past, nor do they pray for the future; they feed on whatever comes that day, that’s why their complexion’s so clear.
§4Because they long for the future, and grieve for the past, fools wither away, like a green reed mowed down.”
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Self-check quiz
Ten questions. Click an answer to see immediate feedback. No score is recorded — this is for your own checking.
Question 1 of 10
What question does the deity ask at the start of this discourse?
Correct: A. A concrete question about an observable effect.
Question 2 of 10
What does the Buddha's answer locate as the cause of a clear complexion?
Correct: A. A temporal explanation, not a dietary one.
Question 3 of 10
What image closes this discourse's second stanza, and gives this vagga its name?
Correct: A. The source of this vagga's own name, Naḷavagga, 'the Chapter on a Reed.'
Question 4 of 10
How many stanzas does the Buddha's reply run to in this discourse?
Correct: A. An unusual extension for this vagga's closing discourse.
Question 5 of 10
What does 'paccuppannena yāpenti' mean?
Correct: A. Living on the present moment, given as the cause of clear complexion.
Question 6 of 10
What follows this discourse in the source text, according to this reading guide?
Correct: A. Standard reciter's bookkeeping, described here but not quoted, since it is untranslated.
Question 7 of 10
According to the discourse, what happens to those who long for the future and grieve the past?
Correct: A. The fate the second stanza names for the opposite orientation to time.
Question 8 of 10
What is this discourse's position within the Naḷavagga?
Correct: A. This discourse closes the vagga and supplies its name.
Question 9 of 10
What is the setting of this discourse?
Correct: A. The Devatāsaṃyutta's recurring frame, even while the content describes wilderness dwellers.
Question 10 of 10
What does 'atītaṁ nānusocanti' mean?
Correct: A. The first half of the Buddha's two-part explanation.
