Dighanikaya 17.241_2

17.241_2

Esikāti esikatthambho. Tiporisaṅgāti ekaṃ porisaṃ majjhimapurisassa attano hatthena pañcahatthaṃ, tena tiporisaparikkhepā pannarasahatthaparimāṇāti attho. Te pana kathaṃ ṭhitāti? Nagarassa bāhirapasse ekekaṃ mahādvārabāhaṃ nissāya ekeko, ekekaṃ khuddakadvārabāhaṃ nissāya ekeko, mahādvārakhuddakadvārānaṃ antarā tayo tayoti. Tālapantīsu sabbaratanamayānaṃ tālānaṃ ekaṃ sovaṇṇamayanti pākāre vuttalakkhaṇameva veditabbaṃ, paṇṇaphalesupi eseva nayo. Tā pana tālapantiyo asītihatthā ubbedhena, vippakiṇṇavāluke samatale bhūmibhāge pākārantare ekekā hutvā ṭhitā.

'Esikā' means a city-gate pillar. 'Tiporisaṅgā' means: one porisa is five cubits according to the hand of a mid-sized man; therefore its meaning is 'having a circumference of three porisas, a measure of fifteen cubits'. Now, how did they stand? Outside the city, one beside each great doorpost, one beside each small doorpost, and three between each great door and small door. Among the palm tree groves, regarding the palms made of all jewels, the method where one was made of gold should be understood just as stated for the ramparts; and this same method applies to the leaves and fruits. Moreover, those palm tree groves were eighty cubits in height, each standing one by one between the ramparts upon a level ground strewn with sand.