Namo tassa bhagavato arahato sammāsambuddhassa

Introduction to 3.1.7
Jāṇussoṇibrāhmaṇasuttaṃ
(The maggayāna, the vehicle of the path is produced from within)
In this present sutta Venerable Ānanda encounters the Brahmin Jāṇussoṇi, who was a minister of King Pasenadi of Kosala and a lay-follower of the Buddha. He regularly drove through and around the city of Sāvatthi and also visited the Buddha at Jetavāna. Many suttas are addressed to him and a collection of instructions is found in the Aṅguttaranikāyo, Dasakanipātapāḷi called Jāṇussoṇivaggo, which is dealing with topics of sīla, kamma, celibacy etc.

When the Buddha previously had explained to the Venerable Ānanda in respect to yāna, yāna was explained as a vehicle that travels on the wheels of wholesomeness: – dhammacakkehi saṃyuto.

(see 2.1.7): “Anyone who uses such a vehicle, be it woman or man, by means of it will get drawn close towards nibbāna.”–“Yassa etādisaṃ yānaṃ, itthiyā purisassa vā; sa ve etena yānena, nibbānasseva santike”ti.–


Here Jāṇussoṇi embarks the city of Sāvatthi in a superb vehicle that people compare with the divine vehicle of Brahma: ‘brahmayānaṃ’. After seeing this, the Venerable Ānanda questions the Buddha, if there was something that could be called a divine vehicle of Dhamma, the ‘dhammayāna’. The Buddha replies that this divine vehicle of Dhamma is the ‘dhammayāna’, the vehicle ‘yāna’ of the ariyassa aṭṭhaṅgikassa maggassa, by pointing out this maggayāna concluding with the following verse:

‘‘Etadattani sambhūtaṃ[1], brahmayānaṃ anuttaraṃ;

Niyyanti [2] lokamhā, aññadatthu[3] jayaṃ jayanti.

That incomparable Brahma-like vehicle is produced from within,

Leading the wise away from the world, truly ever victorious.[4]


It is this vehicle of the path which leads one forward towards the goal, based on one’s endeavour. That is why it has been named ‘produced from within’: Etadattani sambhūtanti etaṃ maggayānaṃ attano purisakāraṃ[5] nissāya[6] laddhattā. Sambhūtaṃ nāma hoti. This maggayāna is ‘produced from within’ because it is achieved and depends on one’s own virile efforts.

[1] sambhūta: (pp) arisen, produced

[2] niyyanti: they are led (pp. of nāyati))

[3] aññadatthu: certainly, truly

[4] Jayaṃ jayanti rāgādayo sapatte jinantā jinantā: They win victory by overcoming and conquering the enemy of craving

[5] purisakāraṃ: purisa + kāra: man + deed, act, making

[6] nissāya: dependent upon; by reason of, through

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Pāli lesson (with audio) 3.1.7

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Last modified: Saturday, 12 January 2019, 5:39 PM