[Translated originally from the Sanskrit Sarvāstivāda Madhyamāgama to Classical Chinese by a team led by Sarvāstivāda scholar Gautama Saṃghadeva of Kāśmīra in 398CE.
Translated from the Chinese Taisho Tripiṭaka back to Sanskrit by Ramakrishnan Suryanarayanan in 2024-26.]
madhyamāgame saptadharmavarge prathame satpuruṣagatisūtraṃ ṣaṣṭham.
evaṃ mayā śrutam. ekasminsamaye bhagavāñchrāvastyāṃ viharati sma jetavane'nāthapiṇḍadasyārāme. tasminsamaye bhagavānbhikṣūnāmantrayata—ahaṃ vo bhikṣavaḥ sapta satpuruṣagatīranupadhiśeṣaṃ ca nirvāṇaṃ deśayiṣyāmi. tacchṛṇuta, sādhu ca suṣṭhu ca manasikuruta, bhāṣiṣye. evaṃ bhagavanta iti te bhikṣavo bhagavataḥ pratyaśrauṣuḥ.
bhagavānidamavocat—katame sapta. iha bhikṣavo bhikṣurevaṃ pratipanno bhavati—nāhamasmi, na me'sti, na bhaviṣyāmi, na me bhaviṣyati, yadasti yadbhūtaṃ tatprajahāmīti. tatprahāyopekṣāṃ pratilabhate, bhavasukheṣvanadhyavasitaḥ saṃyogeṣvasaktaḥ. evaṃ pratipannasyānuttaraṃ śāntapadaṃ prajñayā dṛṣṭaṃ bhavati, na tu sākṣātkṛtam. evaṃ pratipanno bhikṣavo bhikṣuḥ kutra gacchati? tadyathā lohasphuliṅga utpatya samamanantarameva nirvāyati. evameva bhikṣavaḥ sa bhikṣuḥ sūkṣmamāne'prahīṇe pañcānāmavarabhāgīyānāṃ saṃyojanānāṃ prahāṇādantarāparinirvāyī bhavati. idaṃ prathamaṃ satpuruṣasya gatisthānamucyate. sa ca loke satyato bhūtataḥ saṃvidyate.
punaraparaṃ bhikṣava iha bhikṣurevaṃ pratipanno bhavati—nāhamasmi, na me'sti, na bhaviṣyāmi, na me bhaviṣyati, yadasti yadbhūtaṃ tatprajahāmīti. tatprahāyopekṣāṃ pratilabhate, bhavasukheṣvanadhyavasitaḥ saṃyogeṣvasaktaḥ. evaṃ pratipannasyānuttaraṃ śāntapadaṃ prajñayā dṛṣṭaṃ bhavati, na tu sākṣātkṛtam. evaṃ pratipanno bhikṣavo bhikṣuḥ kutra gacchati? tadyathā santapte samprajvalite sajyotiṣyayaḥpiṇḍe mudgareṇāhate sphuliṅga utpatyordhvaṃ gatamātra eva nirvāyati. evameva bhikṣavaḥ sa bhikṣuḥ sūkṣmamāne'prahīṇe pañcānāmavarabhāgīyānāṃ saṃyojanānāṃ prahāṇādantarāparinirvāyī bhavati. idaṃ dvitīyaṃ satpuruṣasya gatisthānamucyate. sa ca loke satyato bhūtataḥ saṃvidyate.
punaraparaṃ bhikṣava iha bhikṣurevaṃ pratipanno bhavati—nāhamasmi, na me'sti, na bhaviṣyāmi, na me bhaviṣyati, yadasti yadbhūtaṃ tatprajahāmīti. tatprahāyopekṣāṃ pratilabhate, bhavasukheṣvanadhyavasitaḥ saṃyogeṣvasaktaḥ. evaṃ pratipannasyānuttaraṃ śāntapadaṃ prajñayā dṛṣṭaṃ bhavati, na tu sākṣātkṛtam. evaṃ pratipanno bhikṣavo bhikṣuḥ kutra gacchati? tadyathā santapte samprajvalite sajyotiṣyayaḥpiṇḍe mudgareṇāhate sphuliṅga utpatyākāśānnipatamāno'prāpta eva pṛthivīṃ nirvāyati. evameva bhikṣavaḥ sa bhikṣuḥ sūkṣmamāne'prahīṇe pañcānāmavarabhāgīyānāṃ saṃyojanānāṃ prahāṇādantarāparinirvāyī bhavati. idaṃ tṛtīyaṃ satpuruṣasya gatisthānamucyate. sa ca loke satyato bhūtataḥ saṃvidyate.
punaraparaṃ bhikṣava iha bhikṣurevaṃ pratipanno bhavati—nāhamasmi, na me'sti, na bhaviṣyāmi, na me bhaviṣyati, yadasti yadbhūtaṃ tatprajahāmīti. tatprahāyopekṣāṃ pratilabhate, bhavasukheṣvanadhyavasitaḥ saṃyogeṣvasaktaḥ. evaṃ pratipannasyānuttaraṃ śāntapadaṃ prajñayā dṛṣṭaṃ bhavati, na tu sākṣātkṛtam. evaṃ pratipanno bhikṣavo bhikṣuḥ kutra gacchati? tadyathā santapte samprajvalite sajyotiṣyayaḥpiṇḍe mudgareṇāhate sphuliṅga utpatya pṛthivyāṃ nipatya nirvāyati. evameva bhikṣavaḥ sa bhikṣuḥ sūkṣmamāne'prahīṇe pañcānāmavarabhāgīyānāṃ saṃyojanānāṃ prahāṇādupapadyaparinirvāyī bhavati. idaṃ caturthaṃ satpuruṣasya gatisthānamucyate. sa ca loke satyato bhūtataḥ saṃvidyate.
punaraparaṃ bhikṣava iha bhikṣurevaṃ pratipanno bhavati—nāhamasmi, na me'sti, na bhaviṣyāmi, na me bhaviṣyati, yadasti yadbhūtaṃ tatprajahāmīti. tatprahāyopekṣāṃ pratilabhate, bhavasukheṣvanadhyavasitaḥ saṃyogeṣvasaktaḥ. evaṃ pratipannasyānuttaraṃ śāntapadaṃ prajñayā dṛṣṭaṃ bhavati, na tu sākṣātkṛtam. evaṃ pratipanno bhikṣavo bhikṣuḥ kutra gacchati? tadyathā santapte samprajvalite sajyotiṣyayaḥpiṇḍe mudgareṇāhate sphuliṅga utpatyālpamātre tṛṇakāṣṭharāśau nipatya dhūmāyitvā prajvalya ca taṃ dagdhvā nirvāyati. evameva bhikṣavaḥ sa bhikṣuḥ sūkṣmamāne'prahīṇe pañcānāmavarabhāgīyānāṃ saṃyojanānāṃ prahāṇātsābhisaṃskāraparinirvāyī bhavati. idaṃ pañcamaṃ satpuruṣasya gatisthānamucyate. sa ca loke satyato bhūtataḥ saṃvidyate.
punaraparaṃ bhikṣava iha bhikṣurevaṃ pratipanno bhavati—nāhamasmi, na me'sti, na bhaviṣyāmi, na me bhaviṣyati, yadasti yadbhūtaṃ tatprajahāmīti. tatprahāyopekṣāṃ pratilabhate, bhavasukheṣvanadhyavasitaḥ saṃyogeṣvasaktaḥ. evaṃ pratipannasyānuttaraṃ śāntapadaṃ prajñayā dṛṣṭaṃ bhavati, na tu sākṣātkṛtam. evaṃ pratipanno bhikṣavo bhikṣuḥ kutra gacchati? tadyathā santapte samprajvalite sajyotiṣyayaḥpiṇḍe mudgareṇāhate sphuliṅga utpatya prabhūte tṛṇakāṣṭharāśau nipatya dhūmāyitvā prajvalya ca taṃ niśśeṣaṃ dagdhvā nirvāyati. evameva bhikṣavaḥ sa bhikṣuḥ sūkṣmamāne'prahīṇe pañcānāmavarabhāgīyānāṃ saṃyojanānāṃ prahāṇādanābhisaṃskāraparinirvāyī bhavati. idaṃ ṣaṣṭhaṃ satpuruṣasya gatisthānamucyate. sa ca loke satyato bhūtataḥ saṃvidyate.
punaraparaṃ bhikṣava iha bhikṣurevaṃ pratipanno bhavati—nāhamasmi, na me'sti, na bhaviṣyāmi, na me bhaviṣyati, yadasti yadbhūtaṃ tatprajahāmīti. tatprahāyopekṣāṃ pratilabhate, bhavasukheṣvanadhyavasitaḥ saṃyogeṣvasaktaḥ. evaṃ pratipannasyānuttaraṃ śāntapadaṃ prajñayā dṛṣṭaṃ bhavati, na tu sākṣātkṛtam. evaṃ pratipanno bhikṣavo bhikṣuḥ kutra gacchati? tadyathā santapte samprajvalite sajyotiṣyayaḥpiṇḍe mudgareṇāhate sphuliṅga utpatya prabhūte tṛṇakāṣṭharāśau nipatya dhūmāyitvā prajvalya ca taddagdhvā grāmanigamanagarāṇi parvatavanakāntārāṇi ca dahati. sa grāmanigamanagarāṇi parvatavanakāntārāṇi ca dagdhvā mārgaṃ vā udakaṃ vā samabhūmiṃ vā prāpya nirvāyati. evameva bhikṣavaḥ sa bhikṣuḥ sūkṣmamāne'prahīṇe pañcānāmavarabhāgīyānāṃ saṃyojanānāṃ prahāṇādūrdhvasrotā akaniṣṭhaparinirvāyī bhavati. idaṃ saptamaṃ satpuruṣasya gatisthānamucyate. sa ca loke satyato bhūtataḥ saṃvidyate.
katamacca bhikṣavo'nupadhiśeṣaṃ nirvāṇam. iha bhikṣavo bhikṣurevaṃ pratipanno bhavati—nāhamasmi, na me'sti, na bhaviṣyāmi, na me bhaviṣyati, yadasti yadbhūtaṃ tatprajahāmīti. tatprahāyopekṣāṃ pratilabhate, bhavasukheṣvanadhyavasitaḥ saṃyogeṣvasaktaḥ. evaṃ pratipannasyānuttaraṃ śāntapadaṃ prajñayā dṛṣṭaṃ bhavati sākṣātkṛtaṃ ca. ahaṃ bhikṣavastaṃ bhikṣuṃ na pūrvāṃ diśaṃ gacchatīti vadāmi, na paścimāṃ na dakṣiṇāṃ nottarāṃ nānudiśaṃ nordhvaṃ nādho gacchatīti vadāmi. sa dṛṣṭa eva dharme śāntapadaṃ prāpya parinirvāti.
yanmayā pūrvaṃ bhāṣitam—ahaṃ vo bhikṣavaḥ sapta satpuruṣagatīranupadhiśeṣaṃ ca nirvāṇaṃ deśayiṣyāmīti, tadetannidānaṃ bhāṣitam.
idamavocadbhagavān. āttamanasaste bhikṣavo bhagavato bhāṣitamabhyanandan.
satpuruṣagatisūtraṃ ṣaṣṭhaṃ samāptam.