Dighanikaya 5.345

5.345

Na rukkhā chijjiṃsu yūpatthāya na dabbhā lūyiṃsu barihisatthāyāti ye yūpanāmake mahāthambhe ussāpetvā – ‘‘asukarājā asukāmacco asukabrāhmaṇo evarūpaṃ nāma mahāyāgaṃ yajatī’’ti nāmaṃ likhitvā ṭhapenti. Yāni ca dabbhatiṇāni lāyitvā vanamālāsaṅkhepena yaññasālaṃ parikkhipanti, bhūmiyaṃ vā pattharanti, tepi na rukkhā chijjiṃsu, na dabbhā lūyiṃsu. Kiṃ pana gāvo vā ajādayo vā haññissantīti dasseti. Dāsāti antogehadāsādayo. Pessāti ye pubbameva dhanaṃ gahetvā kammaṃ karonti. Kammakarāti ye bhattavetanaṃ gahetvā karonti. Daṇḍatajjitā nāma daṇḍayaṭṭhimuggarādīni gahetvā – ‘‘kammaṃ karotha karothā’’ti evaṃ tajjitā. Bhayatajjitā nāma – sace kammaṃ karosi, kusalaṃ. No ce karosi, chindissāma vā bandhissāma vā māressāma vāti evaṃ bhayena tajjitā. Ete pana na daṇḍatajjitā, na bhayatajjitā, na assumukhā rodamānā parikammāni akaṃsu. Atha kho piyasamudācāreneva samudācariyamānā akaṃsu. Na hi tattha dāsaṃ vā dāsāti, pessaṃ vā pessāti, kammakaraṃ vā kammakarāti ālapanti. Yathānāmavaseneva pana piyasamudācārena ālapitvā itthipurisabalavantadubbalānaṃ anurūpameva kammaṃ dassetvā – ‘‘idañcidañca karothā’’ti vadanti. Tepi attano rucivaseneva karonti. Tena vuttaṃ – ‘‘ye icchiṃsu, te akaṃsu; ye na icchiṃsu, na te akaṃsu. Yaṃ icchiṃsu, taṃ akaṃsu; yaṃ na icchiṃsu, na taṃ akaṃsū’’ti. Sappitelanavanītadadhimadhuphāṇitena ceva so yañño niṭṭhānamagamāsīti rājā kira bahinagarassa catūsu dvāresu antonagarassa ca majjheti pañcasu ṭhānesu mahādānasālāyo kārāpetvā ekekissāya sālāya satasahassaṃ satasahassaṃ katvā divase divase pañcasatasahassāni vissajjetvā sūriyuggamanato paṭṭhāya tassa tassa kālassa anurūpehi sahatthena suvaṇṇakaṭacchuṃ gahetvā paṇītehi sappitelādisammisseheva yāgukhajjakabhattabyañjanapānakādīhi mahājanaṃ santappesi. Bhājanāni pūretvā gaṇhitukāmānaṃ tatheva dāpesi. Sāyaṇhasamaye pana vatthagandhamālādīhi sampūjesi. Sappiādīnaṃ pana mahācāṭiyo pūrāpetvā – ‘‘yo yaṃ paribhuñjitukāmo, so taṃ paribhuñjatū’’ti anekasatesu ṭhānesu ṭhapāpesi. Taṃ sandhāya vuttaṃ – ‘‘sappitelanavanītadadhimadhuphāṇitena ceva so yañño niṭṭhānamagamāsī’’ti.

'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.'