Dhammapada 1.3.p4

1.3.p4

Sayanakāle nārado devilassa nipajjanaṭṭhānañca dvārañca sallakkhetvā nipajji. So pana devilo nipajjamāno attano nipajjanaṭṭhāne anipajjitvā dvāramajjhe tiriyaṃ nipajji. Nārado rattiṃ nikkhamanto tassa jaṭāsu akkami. ‘‘Ko maṃ akkamī’’ti ca vutte, ‘‘ācariya, aha’’nti āha. ‘‘Kūṭajaṭila, araññato āgantvā mama jaṭāsu akkamasī’’ti. ‘‘Ācariya, tumhākaṃ idha nipannabhāvaṃ na jānāmi, khamatha me’’ti vatvā tassa kandantasseva bahi nikkhami. Itaro ‘‘ayaṃ pavisantopi maṃ akkameyyā’’ti parivattetvā pādaṭṭhāne sīsaṃ katvā nipajji. Nāradopi pavisanto ‘‘paṭhamaṃpāhaṃ ācariye aparajjhiṃ, idānissa pādapassena pavisissāmī’’ti cintetvā āgacchanto gīvāya akkami. ‘‘Ko eso’’ti ca vutte ‘‘ahaṃ, ācariyā’’ti vatvā ‘‘kūṭajaṭila, paṭhamaṃ mama jaṭāsu akkamitvā idāni gīvāya akkamasi, abhisapissāmi ta’’nti vutte, ‘‘ācariya, mayhaṃ doso natthi, ahaṃ tumhākaṃ evaṃ nipannabhāvaṃ na jānāmi, ‘paṭhamampi me aparaddhaṃ, idāni pādapassena pavisissāmī’ti paviṭṭhomhi, khamatha me’’ti āha. ‘‘Kūṭajaṭila, abhisapissāmi ta’’nti. ‘‘Mā evaṃ karittha ācariyā’’ti. So tassa vacanaṃ anādiyitvā –

When it was bedtime, Nārada noted carefully the place where Devala lay and the position of the door, and then lay down. But when Devala lay down, instead of lying down in his proper place, he lay down directly across the doorway. The result was that when Nārada went out at night, he trod on Devala’s matted locks. Thereupon Devala cried out, “Who is treading on my locks?” Nārada replied, “Teacher, it is I.” “False ascetic,” said Devala, “you come from the forest and tread on my locks.” “Teacher, I did not know that you were lying here; pardon me.” Nārada then went out, leaving Devala weeping as if his heart would break.

Devala thought to himself, “I will let him tread on me when he comes in also.” So he turned around and lay down, placing his head where his feet had been before. When Nārada came in, he thought to himself, “The first time I injured the teacher; this time I will go in past his feet.” The result was that, when Nārada entered, he trod on Devala’s neck. Thereupon Devala cried out, “Who is that?” Nārada replied, “It is I, teacher.” “False ascetic,” said Devala, “the first time you trod on my locks; this time you tread on my neck. I will curse you.” “Teacher, I am not to blame. I did not know that you were lying in this position. When I came in I thought to myself, ‘The first time I injured the teacher; this time I will go in past his feet.’ Pardon me.” “False ascetic, I will curse you.” “Do not so, teacher.” But Devala, paying no attention to what Nārada said, cursed him all the same, saying,