➥ agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajito:

• for agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajito:
  • gone forth from the household life into the ascetic life
• for pabbajito:
  • gone forth [into the ascetic life]
• pabbājetu: let someone go forth [into the ascetic life]
• pabbajitā: gone forth [into the ascetic life]
• pabbajjā: going forth [into the ascetic life]

Agārasmā anagāriyaṁ: abandonment of the household life

Agāra means house or hut, ‘usually implying the comforts of living at home,’ says PED (sv Agāra). DOP calls agāra ‘the household life,’ and anagāra ‘the homeless state; the ascetic life.’ We render agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajito as ‘gone forth from the household life into the ascetic life.’ What is abandoned in going forth is not a roof over one’s head, but the property, security, and pleasures of lay people, as expressed here:

• Abandoning an inconsiderable or considerable fortune, and an inconsiderable or considerable circle of relatives, he shaves off his hair and beard, clothes himself in ochre robes, and goes forth from the household life into the ascetic life.

So aparena samayena appaṁ vā bhogakkhandhaṁ pahāya mahantaṁ vā bhogakkhandhaṁ pahāya appaṁ vā ñātiparivaṭṭaṁ pahāya mahantaṁ cā ñātiparivaṭṭaṁ pahāya kesamassuṁ ohāretvā kāsāyāni vatthāni acchādetvā agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajati. (MN i 179)

Illustration: agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajito, gone forth from the household life into the ascetic life

If I who have forsaken sensuous pleasures and gone forth from the household life into the ascetic life, should pursue sensuous pleasures still worse than before, that were unseemly of me.

Ahañce'va kho pana yādisake vā kāme ohāya agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajito tādisake vā kāme pariyeseyyaṁ tato vā pāpiṭṭhatare na me taṁ assa patirūpanti. (AN i 148)

Illustration: agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajitvā, go forth from the household life into the ascetic life

Those of the four castes, khattiyas, brahmans, vessas, and suddas, having gone forth from the household life into the ascetic life in the teaching and training system made known by the Perfect One, give up their former names and identities and are just called ‘ascetic disciples of the Sakyans’ Son.’

cattāro me vaṇṇā khattiyā brāhmaṇā vessā suddā te tathāgatappavedite dhammavinaye agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajitvā jahanti purimāni nāmagottāni samaṇā sakyaputtiyātveva saṅkhaṁ gacchantī. (Uda 51)

➥ pabbājetu: (main article see: agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajito)

Illustration: agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajeyyan, go forth from the household life into the ascetic life; pabbājetu, let someone go forth [into the ascetic life]

Soṇa Koṭikaṇṇa said ‘It is not easy while living the household life to live the religious life, utterly perfect and pure as a polished shell.’

nayidaṁ sukaraṁ agāraṁ ajjhāvasatā ekantaparipuṇṇaṁ ekantaparisuddhaṁ saṅkhalikhitaṁ brahmacariyaṁ carituṁ

He said ‘How about if I shaved off my hair and beard, and went forth from the household life into the ascetic life?'

Yannūnāhaṁ kesamassuṁ ohāretvā kāsāyāni vatthāni acchādetvā agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajeyyan ti

Let me go forth [into the ascetic life], Master Mahākaccāna!“

Pabbājetu maṁ bhante ayyo mahākaccāyano ti.

Mahākaccāna replied, “It is hard, Soṇa, the life-long, one-meal-a-day, solitary bed, celibate life. Please, stay as a householder, apply yourself to the Buddha’s training system and, on the Observance Day, to observing one-meal-a-day, the solitary bed, and celibacy.

dukkaraṁ kho soṇa yāvajīvaṁ ekabhattaṁ ekaseyyaṁ brahmacariyaṁ iṅgha tvaṁ soṇa tattheva agārikabhuto samāno buddhānaṁ sāsanaṁ anuyuñja kālayuttaṁ ekabhattaṁ ekaseyyaṁ brahmacariyaṁ ti. (Uda 57)

➥ pabbajitā: (main article see: agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajito)

Illustration: pabbajitā, gone forth [into the ascetic life]

Having abandoned the household life and gone forth [into the ascetic life], having abandoned their beloved sons and cattle, having abandoned attachment and hatred, having discarded uninsightfulness into reality, the arahants, those whose āsavas are destroyed, are those in the world no longer avid.

Hitvā agāraṁ pabbajitā hitvā puttaṁ pasuṁ piyaṁ
Hitvā rāgañca dosañca avijjañca virājiya
Khīṇāsavā arahanto te lokasmiṁ anussukā ti. (SN i 15)

Seven days after going forth [into the ascetic life] I attained the three final knowledges

sattāhaṁ pabbajitā tisso vijjā aphassayiṁ. (Thi 433)

➥ pabbajjā: (main article see: agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajito)

Illustration: pabbajjā, going forth [into the ascetic life]

The going forth [into the ascetic life] of all those noble young men was not in vain or barren, but fruitful and productive.

iti kho pana sabbesaṁ yeva tesaṁ kulaputtānaṁ amoghā pabbajjā ahosi avañjhā saphalā saudrayā ti. (DN ii 251)