Dighanikaya 3.260_2

3.260_2

Ataramānoti aturito, saṇikaṃ padappamāṇaṭṭhāne padaṃ nikkhipanto vattaṃ katvā susammaṭṭhaṃ muttādalasinduvārasantharasadisaṃ vālikaṃ avināsentoti attho. Āḷindanti pamukhaṃ. Ukkāsitvāti ukkāsitasaddaṃ katvā. Aggaḷanti dvārakavāṭaṃ. Ākoṭehīti agganakhehi saṇikaṃ kuñcikacchiddasamīpe ākoṭehīti vuttaṃ hoti. Dvāraṃ kira atiupari amanussā, atiheṭṭhā dīghajātikā koṭenti. Tathā anākoṭetvā majjhe chiddasamīpe koṭetabbanti idaṃ dvārākoṭanavattanti dīpentā vadanti.

‘Without haste’ (ataramāno) means not hurrying, placing foot after foot slowly within the measure of a pace, observing proper deportment, not disturbing the sand that was well swept and like a scattering of split pearls and sinduvāra flowers. ‘The porch’ (āḷindaṃ) means the terrace in front. ‘Having cleared his throat’ (ukkāsitvā) means having made the sound of clearing the throat. ‘The bolt’ (aggaḷaṃ) means the door-panel. ‘Tap’ (ākoṭehi): it is said, tap gently with the tips of the fingernails near the keyhole. For non-human beings tap too high on a door, and reptiles tap too low. Not tapping like that, one should tap in the middle near the hole—explaining this, they speak of it as the proper deportment for tapping on a door.