Dighanikaya 14.43

14.43

Dutiyabhāṇavāre gopānasivaṅkanti gopānasī viya vaṅkaṃ. Bhogganti khandhe, kaṭiyaṃ, jāṇūsūti tīsu ṭhānesu bhoggavaṅkaṃ. Daṇḍaparāyananti daṇḍagatikaṃ daṇḍapaṭisaraṇaṃ. Āturanti jarāturaṃ. Gatayobbananti atikkantayobbanaṃ pacchimavaye ṭhitaṃ. Disvāti aḍḍhayojanappamāṇena balakāyena parivuto susaṃvihitārakkhopi gacchanto yadā ratho purato hoti, pacchā balakāyo, tādise okāse suddhāvāsakhīṇāsavabrahmehi attano ānubhāvena rathassa puratova dassitaṃ, taṃ purisaṃ passitvā. Suddhāvāsā kira – ‘‘mahāpuriso paṅke gajo viya pañcasu kāmaguṇesu laggo, satimassa uppādessāmā’’ti taṃ dassesuṃ. Evaṃ dassitañca taṃ bodhisatto ceva passati sārathi ca. Brahmāno hi bodhisattassa appamādatthaṃ sārathissa ca kathāsallāpatthaṃ taṃ dassesuṃ. Kiṃ panesoti ‘‘eso jiṇṇoti kiṃ vuttaṃ hoti, nāhaṃ, bho ito pubbe evarūpaṃ addasa’’nti pucchi.

In the second recitation section, "crooked like a rafter" means bent like a roof-rafter. "Bent" means crooked and bent in three places: in the shoulders, at the waist, and in the knees. "Relying on a stick" means walking with a stick, using a stick for support. "Afflicted" means afflicted by old age. "His youth gone" means having passed beyond youth, standing in the final stage of life. "Having seen": although he was traveling surrounded by an army half a yojana across, with well-arranged guards, when the chariot was in front and the army behind, in such an opening, having seen that man shown right in front of the chariot by the taintless Brahmās of the Pure Abodes by their supernormal power. For the beings of the Pure Abodes thought: "The Great Man is caught in the five strands of sensual pleasure like an elephant in a swamp; let us arouse mindfulness in him!" and so they showed him. And when he was shown in this way, only the Bodhisatta and the charioteer saw him. For the Brahmās showed him for the heedfulness of the Bodhisatta and for the sake of a conversation with the charioteer. "Who is this?": he asked, "What does 'this one is old' mean? Good sir, I have never seen such a person before this."