Dighanikaya 9.410

9.410

Svāgataṃ, bhanteti suṭṭhu āgamanaṃ, bhante, bhagavato; bhagavati hi no āgate ānando hoti, gate sokoti dīpeti. Cirassaṃ kho, bhanteti kasmā āha? Kiṃ bhagavā pubbepi tattha gatapubboti, na gatapubbo. Manussānaṃ pana – ‘‘kuhiṃ gacchantā, kuto āgatattha, kiṃ maggamūḷhattha, cirassaṃ āgatatthā’’ti evamādayo piyasamudācārā honti, tasmā evamāha. Evañca pana vatvā na mānathaddho hutvā nisīdi, uṭṭhāyāsanā bhagavato paccuggamanamakāsi. Bhagavantañhi upagataṃ disvā āsanena animantento vā apacitiṃ akaronto vā dullabho. Kasmā? Uccākulīnatāya. Ayampi paribbājako attano nisinnāsanaṃ papphoṭetvā bhagavantaṃ āsanena nimantento – ‘‘nisīdatu, bhante, bhagavā idamāsanaṃ paññatta’’nti āha. Antarākathā vippakatāti nisinnānaṃ vo ādito paṭṭhāya yāva mamāgamanaṃ, etasmiṃ antare kā nāma kathā vippakatā, mamāgamanapaccayā katamā kathā pariyantaṃ na gatā, vadatha, yāva naṃ pariyantaṃ netvā demīti sabbaññupavāraṇaṃ pavāresi. Atha paribbājako – ‘‘niratthakakathā esā nissārā vaṭṭasannissitā, na tumhākaṃ purato vattabbataṃ arahatī’’ti dīpento ‘‘tiṭṭhatesā, bhante’’tiādimāha.

"Welcome, venerable sir": well is the coming of the Blessed One, venerable sir; for he shows, 'When the Blessed One has come, there is joy for us; when he is gone, there is sorrow.' Why did he say, "after a long time, venerable sir"? Had the Blessed One gone there before? He had not gone before. But people have such polite greetings as, "Where are you going? Where have you come from? Did you lose your way? You have come after a long time!" Therefore he spoke thus. Moreover, having spoken thus, he did not sit stiff with pride; he rose from his seat and went out to meet the Blessed One. For upon seeing the Blessed One approach, it is rare that someone does not invite him to a seat or pay respect. Why? Because of his high birth. This wanderer, too, having dusted off the seat on which he had been sitting, invited the Blessed One to a seat, saying: "Let the Blessed One sit down, venerable sir; this seat is prepared." "What was the unfinished conversation?": 'From the time you sat down at the beginning until my arrival, in this interval, what conversation was interrupted? Because of my arrival, what conversation did not reach its conclusion? Speak, that I may bring it to completion for you'—thus he issued the Omniscient One's invitation. Then the wanderer, indicating, 'This is a useless talk, devoid of substance, dependent on the round of rebirths; it is not fit to be spoken in your presence,' spoke the words beginning with, "Let that be, venerable sir."