Arahantavagga · The Arahant · Gāthā 97
Assaddho akataññū ca, sandhicchedo ca yo naro; hatāvakāso vantāso, sa ve uttamaporiso.
Assaddho akataññū ca, sandhicchedo ca yo naro; hatāvakāso vantāso, sa ve uttamaporiso.
One who has no blind faith, who knows the unmade, who cuts the bonds, who has destroyed opportunities for evil and renounced desire — that one is truly the supreme human being.
Assaddho — without blind faith: does not indicate lack of trust but absence of blind faith. The arahant does not “believe” in nibbana — has realized it. Their confidence is direct knowledge, not adherence to a doctrine.
Akataññū — who knows the unmade: akata is the uncreated, the unmade — one of the names for nibbana. One who knows “the unmade” is one who has realized nibbana directly. This is one of the most philosophical definitions of the arahant.
Sandhicchedo — who cuts the bonds: the joints that bind to samsara. The arahant has cut all these connections and is no longer “plugged into” the cycle of rebirths.
Uttamaporiso — the supreme human being: uttama is the highest. The chapter closes with this affirmation: the greatest human achievement possible is the described realization. Not political power, nor wealth, nor fame — but complete freedom.