Dighanikaya 2.150_22

2.150_22

Tassañhi parisati channaṃ satthārānaṃ upaṭṭhākā bahū sannipatitā, te asikkhitānaṃ payirupāsanena sayampi asikkhitāva. Te mayi bhagavato guṇakathaṃ āraddhe antarantarā uṭṭhāyuṭṭhāya attano satthārānaṃ guṇaṃ kathessanti, evaṃ me satthu guṇakathā pariyosānaṃ na gamissati. Rājā pana imesaṃ kulūpake upasaṅkamitvā gahitāsāratāya tesaṃ guṇakathāya anattamano hutvā maṃ paṭipucchissati, athāhaṃ nibbikkhepaṃ satthu guṇaṃ kathetvā rājānaṃ satthu santikaṃ gahetvā gamissāmīti jānantova vikkhepapacchedanatthaṃ tuṇhī ahosīti.

For in that assembly many attendants of the six teachers were gathered, and by associating with untrained persons they themselves were also untrained. [He thought:] "If I begin speaking praise of the Blessed One, they will keep standing up and proclaiming the virtues of their own teachers, and thus my speech praising the Teacher will not reach its conclusion. But when the king has approached these family ascetics and, having grasped their lack of substance, becomes displeased with the talk of their virtues, he will question me; then, free from distraction, I will speak praise of the Teacher and take the king into the Teacher's presence." Thus knowing this, he remained silent in order to cut off confusion.