MĀ42 kimarthasūtram
[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'bhyāsasaṃyuktavargaḥ pañcamaḥ.
abhyāsasaṃyuktavarge kimarthasūtraṃ prathamam.
evaṃ mayā śrutam. ekasminsamaye bhagavāñchrāvastyāṃ viharati sma jetavane'nāthapiṇḍadasyārāme.
tasminsamaye āyuṣmānānando'parāhṇe pratisaṃlayanādvyutthāya yena bhagavāṃstenopajagāma. upetya bhagavataḥ pādau śirasā vanditvaikānte nyaṣīdat. ekāntaniṣaṇṇa āyuṣmānānando bhagavantametadavocat—kimarthaṃ bhagavañchīlamiti.
bhagavānavocat—avipratisārārthaṃ khalvānanda śīlam. yo hi khalvānanda śīlavān so'vipratisāraṃ labhate.
punarapṛcchat—bhagavannavipratisāraḥ kimartha iti.
bhagavānavocat—prāmodyārthaḥ khalvānandāvipratisāraḥ. yo hi khalvānandāvipratisārī sa prāmodyaṃ labhate.
punarapṛcchat—bhagavan prāmodyaṃ kimarthamiti.
bhagavānavocat—prītyarthaṃ khalvānanda prāmodyam. yo hi khalvānanda pramuditaḥ sa prītiṃ labhate.
punarapṛcchat—bhagavan prītiḥ kimartheti.
bhagavānavocat—praśrabdhyarthā khalvānanda prītiḥ. yo hi khalvānanda prītimān sa kāyapraśrabdhiṃ labhate.
punarapṛcchat—bhagavan praśrabdhiḥ kimartheti.
bhagavānavocat—sukhārthā khalvānanda praśrabdhiḥ. yo hi khalvānanda praśrabdhakāyaḥ sa sukhaṃ pratisaṃvedayate.
punarapṛcchat—bhagavan sukhaṃ kimarthamiti.
bhagavānavocat—samādhyarthaṃ khalvānanda sukham. yo hi khalvānanda sukhitaḥ sa cittasamādhiṃ labhate.
punarapṛcchat—bhagavan samādhiḥ kimartha iti.
bhagavānavocat—yathābhūtajñānadarśanārthaḥ khalvānanda samādhiḥ. yo hi khalvānanda samāhitaḥ sa yathābhūtajñānadarśanaṃ labhate.
punarapṛcchat—bhagavan yathābhūtajñānadarśanaṃ kimarthamiti.
bhagavānavocat—nirvidarthaṃ khalvānanda yathābhūtajñānadarśanam. yo hi khalvānanda yathābhūtaṃ jānāti yathābhūtaṃ paśyati sa nirvedaṃ labhate.
punarapṛcchat—bhagavan nirvit kimartheti.
bhagavānavocat—virāgārthā khalvānanda nirvit. yo hi khalvānanda nirviṇṇaḥ sa virāgaṃ labhate.
punarapṛcchat—bhagavan virāgaḥ kimartha iti.
bhagavānavocat—vimuktyarthaḥ khalvānanda virāgaḥ. yo hi khalvānanda viraktaḥ sa sarvarāgadveṣamohebhyo vimucyate.
iti khalvānanda śīlapratyayādavipratisāraṃ labhate, avipratisārapratyayātprāmodyaṃ labhate, prāmodyapratyayātprītiṃ labhate, prītipratyayātpraśrabdhiṃ labhate, praśrabdhipratyayātsukhaṃ labhate, sukhapratyayātsamādhiṃ labhate. ānanda, bahuśruta āryaśrāvakaḥ samādhipratyayādyathābhūtajñānadarśanaṃ labhate, yathābhūtajñānadarśanapratyayānnirvedaṃ labhate, nirvedapratyayādvirāgaṃ labhate, virāgapratyayādvimuktiṃ labhate, vimuktipratyayādvimuktamiti jñānaṃ bhavati. kṣīṇā jātiruṣitaṃ brahmacaryaṃ kṛtaṃ karaṇīyaṃ nāparamasmādbhavaparyāyaṃ yathābhūtaṃ prajānāti.
iti khalvānanda dharmā dharmānparipūrayanti, dharmā dharmāṇāṃ pratyayā bhavanti. evamidaṃ śīlaṃ paramāya saṃvartate, yadutāpārātpāraṃ gamanāya.
idamavocadbhagavān. āttamanā āyuṣmānānandaste ca bhikṣavo bhagavato bhāṣitamabhyanandan.
kimarthasūtraṃ prathamaṃ samāptam.
