Dighanikaya 31.271

31.271

Yathābalaṃ kammantasaṃvidhānenāti daharehi kātabbaṃ mahallakehi, mahallakehi vā kātabbaṃ daharehi, itthīhi kātabbaṃ purisehi, purisehi vā kātabbaṃ itthīhi akāretvā tassa tassa balānurūpeneva kammantasaṃvidhānena. Bhattavetanānuppadānenāti ayaṃ khuddakaputto, ayaṃ ekavihārīti tassa tassa anurūpaṃ sallakkhetvā bhattadānena ceva paribbayadānena ca. Gilānupaṭṭhānenāti aphāsukakāle kammaṃ akāretvā sappāyabhesajjādīni datvā paṭijagganena. Acchariyānaṃ rasānaṃ saṃvibhāgenāti acchariye madhurarase labhitvā sayameva akhāditvā tesampi tato saṃvibhāgakaraṇena. Samaye vossaggenāti niccasamaye ca kālasamaye ca vossajjanena. Niccasamaye vossajjanaṃ nāma sakaladivasaṃ kammaṃ karontā kilamanti. Tasmā yathā na kilamanti, evaṃ velaṃ ñatvā vissajjanaṃ. Kālasamaye vossaggo nāma chaṇanakkhattakīḷādīsu alaṅkārabhaṇḍakhādanīyabhojanīyādīni datvā vissajjanaṃ. Dinnādāyinoti corikāya kiñci agahetvā sāmikehi dinnasseva ādāyino. Sukatakammakarāti ‘‘kiṃ etassa kammena katena, na mayaṃ kiñci labhāmā’’ti anujjhāyitvā tuṭṭhahadayā yathā taṃ kammaṃ sukataṃ hoti, evaṃ kārakā. Kittivaṇṇaharāti parisamajjhe kathāya sampattāya ‘‘ko amhākaṃ sāmikehi sadiso atthi, mayaṃ attano dāsabhāvampi na jānāma, tesaṃ sāmikabhāvampi na jānāma, evaṃ no anukampantī’’ti guṇakathāhārakā. Sesamidhāpi purimanayeneva yojetabbaṃ.

‘By arranging work according to strength’ means by arranging work only in accordance with each one's strength, not making the elderly do what is to be done by the young, nor the young what is to be done by the elderly, nor men what is to be done by women, nor women what is to be done by men. ‘By supplying food and wages’ means by giving food and giving allowances after observing what is suitable for each, considering, ‘This one has small children,’ ‘This one lives alone.’ ‘By nursing them when ill’ means by tending to them without making them work during illness, and by providing suitable medicines and the like. ‘By sharing extraordinary flavours’ means, upon obtaining extraordinary sweet delicacies, by not eating them alone, but sharing from them with these people as well. ‘By releasing them at the proper time’ means by releasing them both at regular times and on special occasions. Here, releasing at regular times means: working the whole day, they become exhausted; therefore, knowing the proper hour, releasing them so that they do not get exhausted. Releasing on special occasions means releasing them during festive gatherings, lunar-mansion festivities, and sports, having given them ornamental items, hard foods, soft foods, and the like. ‘Accepting what is given’ means taking only what is given by their masters, without taking anything by theft. ‘Well-performing servants’ means those who, without complaining, saying, ‘What is the use of doing his work, we receive nothing!’, do the work with delighted hearts so that it is well done. ‘Carrying off his fame and praise’ means those who carry reports of his virtues when conversation arises in the midst of an assembly, saying, ‘Who is equal to our masters? We do not even know ourselves to be slaves, nor do we know them to be masters—so great is their compassion for us.’ The rest here too should be construed just in the manner stated before.