Dighanikaya 1.1_42

1.1_42

Pañcamattehi bhikkhusatehīti pañcamattā etesanti pañcamattāni. Mattāti pamāṇaṃ vuccati, tasmā yathā ‘‘bhojane mattaññū’’ti vutte ‘‘bhojane mattaṃ jānāti, pamāṇaṃ jānātī’’ti attho hoti, evamidhāpi – ‘‘tesaṃ bhikkhusatānaṃ pañcamattā pañcapamāṇa’’nti evamattho daṭṭhabbo. Bhikkhūnaṃ satāni bhikkhusatāni, tehi pañcamattehi bhikkhusatehi.

“With about five hundred bhikkhus” (pañcamattehi bhikkhusatehi): those whose measure is five [hundred] are “about five [hundred]” (pañcamattāni). “Measure” (mattā) means amount; therefore, just as when it is said “knowing measure in food” (bhojane mattaññū), the meaning is “he knows the measure in food, he knows the amount,” so too here, the meaning should be understood as: “about five of those hundreds of bhikkhus, the amount of five.” Hundreds of bhikkhus are “bhikkhusatāni”; with those about five hundred bhikkhus.