170 (1)
“Bhikkhus, there is one person who arises in the world for the welfare of many people, for the happiness of many people, out of compassion for the world, for the good, welfare, and happiness of devas and human beings.67 Who is that one person? The Tathāgata, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One. This is that one person who arises in the world … for the good, welfare, and happiness of devas and human beings.”
171 (2)–174 (5)
(171) “Bhikkhus, the manifestation of one person is rare in the world … (172) … there is one person arising in the world who is extraordinary … (173) … the death of one person is lamented by many people … (174)68 … there is one person arising in the world who is unique, without a peer, without counterpart, incomparable, matchless, unrivaled, unequaled, without equal,69 the foremost of bipeds.70 Who is that one person? The Tathāgata, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One. This is that one person arising in the world who is … the foremost of bipeds.”
175 (6)–186 (17)71
“Bhikkhus, the manifestation of one person is the (175) manifestation of great vision … (176) … the manifestation of great light … (177) … the manifestation of great radiance … (178) … the manifestation of the six things unsurpassed … (179) … the realization of the four analytical knowledges … (180) … the penetration of numerous elements … (181) … the penetration of the diversity of elements … (182) … the realization of the fruit of true knowledge and liberation [23] … (183) … the realization of the fruit of stream-entry … (184) … the realization of the fruit of once-returning … (185) … the realization of the fruit of non-returning … (186) … the realization of the fruit of arahantship. Who is that one person? The Tathāgata, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One. This is that one person whose manifestation is the manifestation of great vision … the realization of the fruit of arahantship.”72
187 (18)
“Bhikkhus, I do not see even a single person who properly continues to keep in motion the unsurpassed wheel of the Dhamma set in motion by the Tathāgata as does Sāriputta. Sāriputta properly continues to keep in motion the unsurpassed wheel of the Dhamma set in motion by the Tathāgata.”
67 This sutta, unlike those of the preceding vagga, does not include bahuno janassa. All three editions exclude it, though it is hard to see any reason apart from an old recitation or editorial error.
68 Ce counts here nine separate suttas, one for each epithet. I follow Be and Ee, which group them together as one sutta.
69 Asamasamo. Mp explains this to mean “equal to those without equal,” that is, equal to the unequaled Buddhas of the past and the future. But elsewhere samasama means “exactly equal,” and thus asamasama should probably be understood to mean simply “without equal.” See DN I 123,12, MN I 329,7, MN I 515,24, MN I 516,11, etc.
70 Dvipadānaṃ aggo. Mp: “The best among human beings and devas.”
71 I follow Ce and Be, which take each utterance to be a separate sutta and thus count twelve suttas here. Ee combines them into one. Since the last sentence recapitulates all the items from “the manifestation of great vision” to “the realization of the fruit of arahantship,” it seems this was originally a single sutta. However, to keep my numbering in alignment with Ce and Be, I count each separately.
72 On the “six things unsurpassed” (cha anuttarīyāni), see 6:30. On the four analytical knowledges (catasso paṭisambhidāyo), see 4:172. These are discussed in detail at Vibh 293–305 (Be §§718–50) and Vism 440–42, Ppn 14.21–27. Mp explains the “penetration of numerous elements” (anekadhātupaṭivedha) by way of the eighteen elements (six sense objects, six sense faculties, six types of consciousness), and the “penetration of the diversity of elements” (nānādhātupaṭivedha) by way of their different specific natures (nānāsabhāvato). In the expression “fruit of true knowledge and liberation” (vijjāvimuttiphala), Mp identifies true knowledge (vijjā) with the knowledge of the fruit, and “liberation” (vimutti) with the other factors associated with the fruit. Presumably this means the fruit of arahantship.