Reading guide
An epithet that is itself a piece of history
‘Aññāsikoṇḍañña’ isn't simply a name; it preserves the moment of his awakening in its very form — ‘aññāsi’ meaning ‘understood!’ — commemorating him as the first disciple to grasp the Buddha's teaching directly.
A physical display of devotion described in full
The text doesn't simply say Koṇḍañña paid his respects; it describes the prostration in detail — bowing with his head at the Buddha's feet, kissing them, stroking them with his hands — before he even announces his own name.
A name doubled, much like SN 7.15's Mānatthaddha
Koṇḍañña's twofold self-announcement — ‘I am Koṇḍañña, Blessed One! I am Koṇḍañña, Holy One!’ — echoes the doubled self-naming seen elsewhere in this collection, though here it expresses joyful devotion rather than a conceited man's sudden reversal.
Attainment described as total, not partial
Vaṅgīsa's verse doesn't list specific qualities piecemeal; it states that whatever can be attained by a disciple faithfully following the Teacher's instruction, Koṇḍañña has attained all of it, through diligent training — completeness rather than enumeration.
A title reserved for this discourse alone: "heir to the Buddha"
The closing line names Koṇḍañña ‘buddhadāyādo’, heir to the Buddha — a title this reading guide hasn't encountered applied so directly to anyone else in this saṃyutta, fitting for the disciple whose understanding came first.
Key terms
The text
§1At one time the Buddha was staying near Rājagaha, in the Bamboo Grove, the squirrels’ feeding ground. Then Venerable Koṇḍañña Who Understood approached the Buddha after a very long absence. He bowed with his head at the Buddha’s feet, caressing them and covering them with kisses, and pronounced his name: “I am Koṇḍañña, Blessed One! I am Koṇḍañña, Holy One!” Then Venerable Vaṅgīsa thought, “This Venerable Koṇḍañña Who Understood has approached the Buddha after a very long absence. He bowed with his head at the Buddha’s feet, caressing them and covering them with kisses, and pronounced his name: ‘I am Koṇḍañña, Blessed One! I am Koṇḍañña, Holy One!’ Why don’t I extoll him in the Buddha’s presence with fitting verses?”
§2Then Venerable Vaṅgīsa got up from his seat, arranged his robe over one shoulder, raised his cupped palms toward the Buddha, and said, “I feel inspired to speak, Blessed One! I feel inspired to speak, Holy One!” “Then speak as you feel inspired,” said the Buddha. Then Vaṅgīsa extolled Koṇḍañña in the Buddha’s presence with fitting verses:
§3“The senior monk awakened after the Buddha, Koṇḍañña, is keenly energetic. He regularly gains the blissful meditations of seclusion.
§4Whatever can be attained by a disciple who does the Teacher’s bidding, he has attained it all, through diligently training himself.
§5With great power and the three knowledges, expert in encompassing the minds of others, Koṇḍañña, the heir to the Buddha, bows at the Teacher’s feet.”
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