Dighanikaya 24.48

24.48

Dukkaraṃ khoti ayaṃ paribbājako yadidaṃ ‘‘evaṃpasanno ahaṃ, bhante’’tiādimāha, taṃ sāṭheyyena kohaññena āha. Evaṃ kirassa ahosi – ‘‘samaṇo gotamo mayhaṃ ettakaṃ dhammakathaṃ kathesi, tamahaṃ sutvāpi pabbajituṃ na sakkomi, mayā etassa sāsanaṃ paṭipannasadisena bhavituṃ vaṭṭatī’’ti. Tato so sāṭheyyena kohaññena evamāha. Tenassa bhagavā mammaṃ ghaṭṭento viya ‘‘dukkaraṃ kho etaṃ, bhaggava tayā aññadiṭṭhikenā’’tiādimāha. Taṃ poṭṭhapādasutte vuttatthameva. Sādhukamanurakkhāti suṭṭhu anurakkha.

'Difficult indeed' means that when this wanderer said 'I have such confidence, venerable sir,' and so forth, he said it out of hypocrisy and pretension. For he thought thus: 'The ascetic Gotama spoke this much Dhamma talk to me; having heard it, I am not even able to go forth. It is proper for me to appear as one who has undertaken his Dispensation.' Then, out of hypocrisy and pretension, he spoke thus. Therefore the Blessed One, as if striking him to the core, said, 'This is difficult indeed, Bhaggava, for you who hold another view,' and so forth. Its meaning is just as stated in the Poṭṭhapādasutta. 'Guard it carefully' means protect it well.