Dighanikaya 5: 5. Kūṭadantasuttavaṇṇanā

“Thus have I heard… among the Magadhans” introduces the Kūṭadanta Sutta. Herein, this is the explanation of unfamiliar words. “Among the Magadhans” (magadhesu): royal princes of a province are called Magadhans; their dwelling-place, even though a single province, is called Magadhā by conventional usage; in that Magadhan province. What follows this is in the very manner stated in the previous two suttas. Ambalaṭṭhikā is just as stated in the Brahmajāla. Kūṭadanta is the name of that brahmin. “Prepared” (upakkhaṭo) means arranged. “Hundreds of bull-calves” (vacchatarasatāni) means hundreds of young calves. “Rams” (urabbhā) refers to young rams. These are mentioned in the text itself. But it should be understood that seven hundred each of many beasts and birds not mentioned in the text were also gathered together. He desired, it is said, to perform a sacrifice of seven hundred of every kind. “Brought up to the sacrificial posts” (thūṇūpanītāni) means brought to the pillars known as sacrificial posts for the purpose of binding and setting them up.

“Threefold” (tividhaṃ): here, “fold” (vidhā) means arrangement, that is to say, setting up. “With sixteen accessories” (soḷasaparikkhāraṃ) means with sixteen accompaniments.

“Reside” (paṭivasanti) means they dwell there in order to attend the sacrifice. “In the past” (bhūtapubbaṃ): the Blessed One said this while showing past conduct concealed by existence, like one unearthing a treasure hidden in the earth and piling it up before him. “Mahāvijita”: he, it is said, conquered the great circle of the earth bounded by the ocean; thus, because his conquered territory was vast (mahantaṃ vijitaṃ assa), he came to be known simply as Mahāvijita. In “prosperous” (aḍḍho) and so forth: anyone is prosperous through their own property and wealth; but he was not merely prosperous: he was “of great wealth” (mahaddhano), endowed with immense and immeasurable wealth. He was “of great possessions” (mahābhogo) because his possessions in terms of the five strands of sensual pleasure were great and magnificent. He was “one with abundant gold and silver” (pahūtajātarūparajato) because of the abundance of gold and silver both in the form of ingots and in the form of gold coins, silver coins, and so forth; the meaning is that he was endowed with gold and silver amounting to many tens of millions. “Joy” (vitti) means delight; an accessory to joy is an article of enjoyment (vittūpakaraṇa), meaning a cause of delight. He was “one with abundant articles of enjoyment” (pahūtavittūpakaraṇo) because he had abundant articles of enjoyment consisting of various ornaments, vessels of gold and silver, and so forth. He was “one with abundant wealth and grain” (pahūtadhanadhañño) because of the abundance of wealth buried and stored consisting of the seven precious substances, and of grain comprising all primary and secondary cereals. Alternatively, this was said with reference to his wealth and grain in circulation on a daily basis by way of expenditure, giving, receiving, and so forth.

“With full treasury and storehouses” (paripuṇṇakosakoṭṭhāgāro): “treasury” (koso) refers to the storehouse of valuables; the meaning is that his treasury was filled with wealth buried and stored, and his storehouses were filled with grain. Alternatively, treasury is fourfold: elephants, horses, chariots, and foot-soldiers. Storehouses are threefold: treasury of wealth, storehouse of cloth, and storehouse of grain; because all of that was full for him, he was “one with full treasury and storehouses.” “There arose” (udapādi) means it occurred. This king, it is said, went out one day on an excursion called “viewing the treasures.” He asked the treasurer: “Dear man, by whom was this so vast wealth accumulated?” “By your fathers, grandfathers, and ancestors up to the seventh generation of your family lineage.” “Having accumulated this wealth, where did they go?” “All of them, your majesty, have come under the sway of death.” “Did they go without taking their wealth with them, dear man?” “Your majesty, what are you saying? This thing called wealth must surely be abandoned when going; it cannot be taken along when going.” Then the king returned, sat down in the royal bedchamber, and thought: “Acquired indeed by me…,” and so forth. Therefore it is said: “such a reflection arose in his mind.”

“Having addressed the brahmin”: why did he address him? He thought, it is said: “When one gives a gift, one ought to give it having consulted with a wise person; for an action done without consulting leads to subsequent remorse.” Therefore he addressed him. Then the brahmin thought: “This king wishes to give a great gift, but there are many bandits in his countryside. If he gives the gift without pacifying them, bandits will plunder the houses left without men as people bring the requisites for the gift such as milk, curd, and husked rice; the countryside will become chaotic through the mere fear of bandits; and consequently the king’s gift will not last long, nor will his mind become unified. Well now, let me make him understand this matter.” Then, making him understand that matter, he said: “Sir, the king’s…” and so forth.

Therein, “beset by thorns”: beset by the thorns of bandits. “Highway harassment”: highway harassers, highway robbers is the meaning. “One who acts improperly”: one who would perform what ought not to be done, who would act unrighteously. “The bandit-post”: the post of bandits. “By execution”: either by killing or by beating. “By imprisonment”: by confinement with shackles and the like. “By loss”: by deprivation; the meaning is: by a penalty enforced in this way: “Take a hundred, take a thousand.” “By censure”: by subjecting them to censure after shaving the head into five tufts, sprinkling them with cow dung, tying a degrading yoke to the neck, and so forth. “By banishment”: by expelling them from the realm. “I will eradicate”: I will properly eradicate through method, means, and cause. “The remnants of those killed”: those left behind among the dead. “Exert themselves”: they make an effort. “Let him provide”: when what was given is insufficient, the meaning is: let him give once again everything—seeds, food, and agricultural implements. “Let him provide capital”: without taking witnesses and without recording it on a leaf, let him give capital for goods as a non-repayable grant; this is the meaning. For capital for goods is called pābhata. As he said:

“Even with little capital, an intelligent, / perceptive person raises himself up, / just as one fans a tiny fire into flame.” (Jā. 1.1.4);

“Food and wages”: daily food and monthly expenses and the like, together with a grant of rank, a village, a market town, and so forth, in accordance with the skill and valour of each person; this is the meaning. “Engaged in their own work”: eager and occupied in their own tasks such as agriculture and commerce. “A heap”: a heap of wealth and grain. “Abiding in security”: established in peace, free from fear. “Without thorns”: free from the thorns of bandits. “Rejoicing with joy”: delighting with joy. Or this is simply the reading; the intention is: having mutual gladness of mind. “With open houses”: without bolting the doors owing to the absence of bandits, with open doors is the meaning. “He said this”: having seen that the countryside was flourishing and prosperous in every way, he said this.

Explanation of the Four Requisites

“Then, sire”: the brahmin thought, it is said: “This king has become exceedingly zealous to give a great gift. But if he gives it without consulting his followers, such as the khattiyas, they will not be pleased with him. I shall act in such a way that they will be pleased with the gift.” Therefore he said: “Then, sire…” and so forth. Therein, “townspeople”: residents of market towns. “Countryfolk”: residents of the countryside. “Let him consult”: let him invite, let him inform. “Whatever would be mine”: whatever approval of yours would be mine. “Ministers”: dear companions. “Retainers”: the rest who carry out orders. “Let the king sacrifice”: let the king offer the sacrifice. For they said: “This king did not give the gift by force, thinking ‘I am the ruler,’ but consulted us; oh, he has done well!” and being pleased, spoke thus. If he had not consulted them, they would not even have gone to see the sacrificial site. “It is the time for sacrifice, great king”: for when there are no suitable gifts to be given, and in old age, it is not possible to give such a gift; but you are both very wealthy and young—indicating this, they say: “It is the time for sacrifice.” “Siding with consent”: on the side of approval; they are givers of consent, is the meaning. “They become requisites”: they become retinues. But in “The chariot has morality as its requisite, jhāna as its axle, energy as its wheel” (SN 5.4), ornament is spoken of as requisite.

Explanation of the Eight Requisites

"By eight factors": by eight factors beginning with being well-born on both sides. "Through renown": because of being capable of enforcing authority. "Full of faith": he has faith that there is fruit from giving. "A donor": heroic in giving. He does not stand merely on faith; he is also able to give away—this is the meaning. "A lord of giving": when giving whatever gift, he gives having become its master, not its slave, nor its companion. For one who himself eats what is sweet, but gives what is not sweet to others, gives having become a slave to the gift-item known as the gift. One who gives whatever he himself eats, gives having become a companion. But one who sustains himself on whatever it may be, yet gives what is sweet to others, gives having become a master, a senior, an owner—this [king] is such a person, that is the meaning. "To ascetics, brahmins, the destitute, wayfarers, mendicants, and beggars": here, those who have calmed evil are ascetics; those who have warded off evil are brahmins. Destitute persons are poor, impoverished people. Wayfarers are travellers. Mendicants are those who wander extolling the praise of giving in such ways as: 'A desirable gift, lovely, pleasing, an unblemished gift given in due season; giving, one should gladden the mind; may the venerable one go to the Brahma-world!' Beggars are those who wander begging by saying things such as: 'Give a mere handful, give a mere saucerful!' "Having become a well-spring": having become like a water well. He is a source of enjoyment common to all, having become like a lotus pond dug at a crossroads—this is the meaning. "To one of broad learning": here, 'learning' itself is 'broad learning'. "To consider matters past, future, and present": here, thinking, 'Only because merit was made in the past is this prosperity mine'—one thinking thus is named one capable of considering past matters. Thinking, 'Only by having made merit now is it possible to attain prosperity in the future'—one thinking thus is named one capable of considering future matters. Thinking, 'This meritorious act is the practice of good people; and for me wealth is present, and a generous disposition also exists; come, let me perform meritorious acts!'—one thinking thus should be understood as named one capable of considering present matters. "Thus these": thus these as described. For when someone is endowed with these eight factors, people from all directions approach their giving. Thinking, 'This base-born man, for how long will he give? Becoming regretful now, he will cut it off'—having thought in such ways, no one thinks one should approach. Therefore, these eight factors are said to be requisites.

Explanation of the Four Requisites and So Forth

"Of those holding up the ladle": of those holding up the giving-ladle in the place where the great sacrifice is received. "By these four": by these [factors] beginning with being well-born. For in their absence, people would say things like, 'A gift set up by the arrangement of such a base-born person, for how long will it continue?' and would not be ones who approach. But because there is no blameworthiness, they certainly do approach. Therefore, these too are said to be requisites.

"He taught three modes": he taught three preparations. For he thought: 'Those who give gifts waver in one of three points. Come, let me make this king unshakeable in those points beforehand.' Therefore, he taught him three modes. "For the venerable king": this is a genitive case in an instrumental sense. Alternatively, the reading is 'by the venerable king'. "Regret should not be made": he shows, 'Remorse caused by the departure of wealth should not be made, but the preliminary volition should be established unshakeable; for thus a gift is of great fruit.' In the other two points also, this very method applies. For the volition of relinquishing and the volition of recollecting afterwards must also be made unshakeable. For one who does not act thus, the gift is not of great fruit, nor does the mind incline toward magnificent possessions, like the merchant householder who was reborn in the Great Roruva hell.

"In ten ways": by ten reasons. For this occurred to him: 'If this king, having seen immoral persons, should generate regret even regarding the virtuous, thinking, "My gift is surely ruined, since such immoral persons partake of it", the gift will not be of great fruit. And regret for donors arises indeed from the recipient. Come, let me dispel that regret for him beforehand.' Therefore, in ten ways he dispelled the regret that might rightly arise even regarding the recipients. "Theirs alone by that": he shows that an undesirable result will belong to them alone by that evil, not to others. "Let the venerable one sacrifice": let the venerable one give. "Let him bestow": let him relinquish. "Internal": inward.

"He instructed his mind in sixteen ways": here, the brahmin undertook the royal great gift's rejoinder. There, "instructed": he spoke, having shown repeatedly, 'The giver of this gift obtains such-and-such prosperity.' "Exhorted": he spoke having urged him toward that purpose. "Roused": he purified his mind through the dispelling of regret. "Gladdened": he spoke having made praise, saying, 'It is well done by you, great king, in giving this gift.' "There is no speaker according to the Dhamma": there is no speaker on righteous, just grounds.

'No trees were cut down for sacrificial posts, no grass was reaped for sacrificial seats' (na rukkhā chijjiṃsu yūpatthāya na dabbhā lūyiṃsu barihisatthāya): those great posts called sacrificial pillars that they erect, having inscribed on them: 'Such-and-such king, such-and-such minister, such-and-such brahmin offers such a great sacrifice'; and those kusa grasses that they reap, encircling the sacrificial hall in the manner of a forest garland, or spreading them on the ground—even these trees were not cut down, nor was grass reaped. What need is there to mention that cattle, goats, and the like would not be slaughtered? This is what it shows. 'Slaves' (dāsā) means domestic slaves and so forth. 'Messengers' (pessā) are those who do work having taken money beforehand. 'Laborers' (kammakarā) are those who work having taken wages of food. 'Threatened with the stick' (daṇḍatajjitā) means threatened by taking up sticks, clubs, and so forth, saying: 'Do the work, do it!' 'Threatened with fear' (bhayatajjitā) means threatened with fear thus: 'If you do the work, good; if you do not do it, we will mutilate you, bind you, or kill you.' But these people performed the preparatory tasks neither threatened with the stick nor threatened with fear, nor weeping with tearful faces. Instead, they performed them being addressed with pleasant speech alone. For there they did not address a slave as 'slave', a messenger as 'messenger', or a laborer as 'laborer'. Rather, addressing them by their proper names with pleasant speech and assigning tasks suitable for women and men, the strong and the weak, they said: 'Do this and that.' They too acted solely according to their own preference. Hence it was said: 'Those who wished, did; those who did not wish, did not. What they wished, they did; what they did not wish, they did not do.' 'And that sacrifice was concluded with ghee, oil, butter, curds, honey, and molasses alone' (sappitelanavanītadadhimadhuphāṇitena ceva so yañño niṭṭhānamagamāsi): it is said that the king had great alms-halls built at five places—at the four gates outside the city and in the middle inside the city—and having set apart a hundred thousand for each hall, expending five hundred thousand day by day from sunrise onwards, he satisfied the multitude with food, snacks, rice, curries, drinks, and so forth appropriate to each particular time, mixed with exquisite ghee, oil, and the like, taking a golden ladle with his own hand. To those who wished to take away [portions] by filling vessels, he had them given likewise. In the evening, moreover, he honored them with garments, perfumes, garlands, and so on. Furthermore, having filled large vats with ghee and the rest, he had them set up in several hundred places, saying: 'Whoever desires to consume whichever, let him consume it.' With reference to that it was said: 'And that sacrifice was concluded with ghee, oil, butter, curds, honey, and molasses alone.'

‘Bringing abundant property’ means having taken much wealth. They thought, it is said: ‘This king gives a great gift having brought out only what belongs to himself, without having ghee, oil, and so forth brought from the countryside. But when the king has nothing brought, it is not fitting for us to remain silent. For wealth in the king’s house is indeed not inexhaustible by nature; and if we do not give, who else will give to the king? Come, let us offer wealth to him.’ Having gathered property by village portion, by market-town portion, and by city portion, and having filled carts, they brought it to the king. Referring to this, it was said: ‘abundant property’, and so forth.

‘To the east of the sacrificial enclosure’ means to the east of the alms hall at the eastern city gate. In such a place they set it up so that those arriving from the eastern direction, having drunk gruel at the nobles’ alms hall and having eaten at the king’s alms hall, enter the city. ‘To the south of the sacrificial enclosure’ means, in the manner already stated, they set it up to the south of the alms hall at the southern city gate. In the west and north, too, this is the method.

‘Oh, the sacrifice! Oh, the excellence of the sacrifice!’: Having heard of the completion with ghee and so forth, the brahmins, with delighted minds, praising it, spoke thus: ‘Whatever is sweet in the world, the ascetic Gotama speaks of just that; come, let us praise his sacrifice.’ ‘Sat in silence’: Thinking of the meaning to be spoken above, he sat silently indeed. ‘Does Master Gotama know, however?’: The brahmin said this, asking politely. For otherwise, asking straight out in this way: ‘Were you at that time the king, Master Gotama, or the purohita brahmin?’, it would be disrespectful, as it were.

Explanation of Regular Alms and Family Sacrifices

‘Is there, however, Master Gotama?’: The brahmin said this, asking this meaning: ‘It is burdensome for the inhabitants of the entire Jambudīpa to give alms having risen and prepared it, and the entire countryside, not doing their own work, will be ruined. Is there, for us too, another sacrifice requiring less preparation and bearing greater fruit than this sacrifice?’ ‘Regular alms’ means constant gifts, regular meals. ‘Family sacrifices’ means sacrifices to be maintained in succession of lineage even by impoverished men later on, holding that: ‘These were instituted by our fathers, grandfathers, and ancestors.’ Even the poor in that family, it is said, do not cut off such continuous gifts dedicated to the virtuous.

In this regard, there is this story: Five hundred regular meals were given, it is said, in Anāthapiṇḍika’s house. There were five hundred ivory food-tickets. Then that family was gradually overcome by poverty; a girl in that family was unable to give more than a single food-ticket. Later, she too went to the realm of Setavāhana, cleaned a threshing floor, and with the grain she obtained gave that food-ticket [meal]. An elder reported this to the king. The king brought her and placed her in the position of chief queen. From then on, she again maintained the five hundred ticket meals.

‘Blows with sticks’: Having said, ‘Stand in line! Stand!’, ‘Go straight and take it! Take it!’, and so on, even blows with sticks and seizures by the throat are seen to be given. ‘This, brahmin, is the cause …pe… and of greater benefit’: Here, since in this ticket meal, unlike in a great sacrifice, there is no need for many attendants or equipment, it therefore involves less trouble. And since here there is no undertaking in the sense of harassment through interrupting the work of many, it therefore requires less preparation. And since this is offered and given up to the Saṅgha, it is therefore called a sacrifice. Furthermore, since with an offering endowed with the six factors, just like the water in the great ocean, it is not easy to measure the flood of merit, and this is of such a kind, therefore it should be understood as bearing greater fruit and being of greater benefit. Having heard this, the brahmin thought: ‘Even when giving this regular meal, rising and preparing it, the work of one person is lost day by day. Fresh enthusiasm must also be aroused. Is there, perhaps, another sacrifice involving even less trouble and requiring even less preparation than this?’ Therefore he said: ‘Is there, however, Master Gotama?’, and so forth. There, since in ticket meals there is no end to the duty, one must manage it indeed, rising and preparing it, without doing other work. In the gift of a monastery, however, there is an end to the duty. For whether causing a leaf hut to be made or a great monastery by spending ten million in wealth, having made a single expenditure of wealth, that which is built lasts for seven or eight years, or a hundred years, or a thousand years. One has only to perform mere repairs in dilapidated and fallen places. Therefore, this gift of a monastery involves less trouble and requires less preparation than a ticket meal. Since, furthermore, nine benefits are spoken of here in the discourse method beginning with: ‘Just for warding off the cold,’ according to the Khandhaka method:

“It wards off cold and heat, and wild beasts from there;
Reptiles, mosquitoes, and rains in the winter.

Then the fierce wind and heat that has arisen is warded off;
For the purpose of shelter and ease, and for meditating and practicing insight.

The gift of a monastery to the Saṅgha is praised by the Buddha as foremost;
Therefore indeed a wise person, seeing what is beneficial for oneself,
Should cause delightful monasteries to be built, and house the learned here.

Therefore food and drink, clothing and lodgings
He should give to the upright, with a clear and confident mind.

They teach him the Dhamma that dispels all suffering;
Knowing that Dhamma here, taintless, he attains final passing.” (Cūḷavagga 295);

Seventeen benefits have been stated. Therefore, this should be understood to be of greater fruit and greater benefit than ticket-food. And it is called a sacrifice precisely because it has been relinquished to the Saṅgha. Having heard this as well, the brahmin thought: “Making a sacrifice of wealth and giving a dwelling is difficult; for even a penny belonging to oneself is hard to give away to another. Come, let me ask about a sacrifice involving even less difficulty and less enterprise than this.” Then, inquiring about that, he said: “Is there, master,” and so forth.

Therein, although a dwelling has been relinquished once, there remains work to be done in terms of repeatedly re-thatching, repairing broken and cracked parts, and so forth; whereas the refuge, once taken in the presence of a single monk, or a saṅgha, or a group, is taken once and for all, and there is no need to take it repeatedly. Therefore, it involves less difficulty and less enterprise than the gift of a dwelling. And since taking refuge is a meritorious action consisting in the surrender of one's life to the Three Jewels, and bestows heavenly attainment, it should be understood to be of greater fruit and greater benefit. And on account of the surrender of one's life to the Three Jewels, it is called a sacrifice.

Having heard this, the brahmin thought: “To surrender one's own life to another is difficult. Might there indeed be a sacrifice involving even less difficulty than this?” Then, inquiring about that, he said again: “Is there, master Gotama,” and so forth. Therein, in “abstinence from killing living beings,” and so forth, “abstinence” (veramaṇī) means refraining (virati). It is threefold: refraining upon occasion (sampattavirati), refraining through undertaking (samādānavirati), and refraining through severance (setughātavirati). Therein, whoever, even without taking the training rules, solely recollecting one's own birth, clan, family lineage, and so forth, thinks, “This is not proper for me,” and does not commit killing living beings and the like, avoids the object that has presented itself, and refrains far from it. For him, that refraining should be understood as “refraining upon occasion.”

However, for one taking the training rules thus: "From this day forth, even for the sake of life, I will not kill living beings" or "I abstain from the destruction of life" or "I undertake the abstention", the restraint should be understood as restraint by undertaking.

However, for noble disciples, the refraining associated with the path is called “refraining through severance.” Therein, the former two refrainings occur having made as their object that item, such as the life faculty, which is to be transgressed by means of destroying it and so on. The latter has Nibbāna alone as its object. And here, whoever takes the five training rules together, for him, when one is broken, all are broken. Whoever takes them one by one, whatever he transgresses, only that one is broken. But for refraining through severance, there is no breaking; for even in another existence, a noble disciple, even for the sake of his life, neither kills a living being nor drinks intoxicating liquor. Even if they mix intoxicating liquor and milk and pour it into his mouth, only the milk enters, not the liquor. Like what? As with cranes, when milk is mixed with water, only the milk enters, not the water. If you say, “This is achieved by its species,” it should also be understood, “This is achieved by natural law.” Moreover, in taking refuge, the rectification of view is a heavy burden. But in undertaking the training rules, it is mere refraining. Therefore, whether taking it this way or that, or taking it properly, it involves less difficulty and less enterprise. And because there is no gift equal to the five precepts, its state of having greater fruit and greater benefit should be understood here. For this has been said:

“Monks, these five gifts are great gifts, supreme, long-standing, traditional, ancient, unadulterated, formerly unadulterated, not being adulterated, will not be adulterated, not despised by ascetics and brahmins who are wise. What five? Here, monks, a noble disciple, having abandoned killing living beings, refrains from killing living beings. Monks, a noble disciple refraining from killing living beings gives fearlessness, gives freedom from enmity, gives freedom from distress to boundless beings. Having given fearlessness, having given freedom from enmity, having given freedom from distress to boundless beings, he partakes of boundless fearlessness, freedom from enmity, and freedom from distress. Monks, this is the first gift, a great gift, …pe… by the wise.

Furthermore, monks, a noble disciple, having abandoned taking what is not given …pe… having abandoned sexual misconduct …pe… having abandoned false speech …pe… having abandoned intoxicating liquor, wine, and fermented brew, the grounds for heedlessness …pe… These, monks, are the five gifts, great gifts, supreme …pe… by the wise.”

And this group of five precepts is called a sacrifice because it is undertaken with the thought: “Surrendering affection for self and affection for life, I will protect it.” Therein, although taking refuge is certainly superior to the five precepts, this is said to be of great fruit on account of morality protected precisely while established in the taking of refuge.

Having heard this as well, the brahmin thought: “The five precepts are a heavy burden to keep. Might there indeed be something else of such a kind that involves even less difficulty and is of greater fruit than this?” Then, inquiring about that, he said once again: “Is there, master Gotama,” and so forth. Then the Blessed One, wishing to show him—established in the fulfillment of the threefold morality—the sacrifices of the first absorption and so forth as involving less difficulty and being of greater fruit, began the teaching starting from the arising of a Buddha, saying: “Here, brahmin,” and so forth. Therein, since one endowed with the qualities mentioned below, while producing the first absorption, or established in the first absorption and producing the second absorption and so forth, does not become fatigued, therefore they involve less difficulty and less enterprise. And because here the first absorption gives a lifespan of one aeon in the brahma world, the second gives eight aeons, the third gives sixty-four aeons, the fourth gives five hundred aeons, and that same [absorption] developed by way of the attainments of the base of boundless space and so on gives a lifespan of twenty, forty, sixty, and eighty-four thousand aeons; therefore, it is of greater fruit and greater benefit. And on account of the abandonment of opposing states such as the hindrances, it should be understood as a sacrifice.