Dhammapada 1.6.p2

1.6.p2

Setabyanagaravāsino hi cūḷakāḷo, majjhimakāḷo, mahākāḷoti tayo bhātaro kuṭumbikā. Tesu jeṭṭhakaniṭṭhā disāsu vicaritvā pañcahi sakaṭasatehi bhaṇḍaṃ āharanti, majjhimakāḷo ābhataṃ vikkiṇāti. Athekasmiṃ samaye te ubhopi bhātaro pañcahi sakaṭasatehi nānābhaṇḍaṃ gahetvā sāvatthiṃ gantvā sāvatthiyā ca jetavanassa ca antare sakaṭāni mocayiṃsu. Tesu mahākāḷo sāyanhasamaye mālāgandhādihatthe sāvatthivāsino ariyasāvake dhammassavanāya gacchante disvā ‘‘kuhiṃ ime gacchantī’’ti pucchitvā tamatthaṃ sutvā ‘‘ahampi gamissāmī’’ti cintetvā kaniṭṭhaṃ āmantetvā, ‘‘tāta, tesu sakaṭesu appamatto hohi, ahaṃ dhammaṃ sotuṃ gacchāmī’’ti vatvā gantvā tathāgataṃ vanditvā parisapariyante nisīdi. Satthā taṃ disvā tassa ajjhāsayavasena anupubbiṃ kathaṃ kathento dukkhakkhandhasuttādivasena (ma. ni. 1.163 ādayo) anekapariyāyena kāmānaṃ ādīnavaṃ okāraṃ saṃkilesañca kathesi. Taṃ sutvā mahākāḷo ‘‘sabbaṃ kira pahāya gantabbaṃ, paralokaṃ gacchantaṃ neva bhogā, na ñātakā ca anugacchanti, kiṃ me gharāvāsena pabbajissāmī’’ti cintetvā mahājane satthāraṃ vanditvā pakkante satthāraṃ pabbajjaṃ yācitvā satthārā ‘‘natthi te koci apaloketabbo’’ti vutte, ‘‘kaniṭṭho me, bhante, atthī’’ti vatvā tena hi ‘‘apalokehi na’’nti vutte, ‘‘sādhu, bhante’’ti vatvā gantvā kaniṭṭhaṃ pakkosāpetvā, ‘‘tāta, imaṃ sabbaṃ sāpateyyaṃ paṭipajjāhī’’ti āha. ‘‘Tumhe pana kiṃ karissatha bhātikā’’ti? ‘‘Ahaṃ satthu santike pabbajissāmī’’ti. So taṃ nānappakārehi yācitvā nivattetuṃ asakkonto ‘‘sādhu, sāmi, yathā ajjhāsayaṃ karothā’’ti āha. Mahākāḷo gantvā satthu santike pabbaji. ‘‘Ahaṃ bhātikaṃ gahetvāva uppabbajissāmī’’ti cūḷakāḷopi pabbaji. Aparabhāge mahākāḷo upasampadaṃ labhitvā satthāraṃ upasaṅkamitvā sāsane dhurāni pucchitvā satthārā dvīsu dhuresu kathitesu ‘‘ahaṃ, bhante, mahallakakāle pabbajitattā ganthadhuraṃ pūretuṃ na sakkhissāmi, vipassanādhuraṃ pana pūressāmī’’ti yāva arahattā kammaṭṭhānaṃ kathāpetvā sosānikadhutaṅgaṃ samādāya paṭhamayāmātikkante sabbesu niddaṃ okkantesu susānaṃ gantvā paccūsakāle sabbesu anuṭṭhitesuyeva vihāraṃ āgacchati.

For Culla Kāḷa, Majjhima Kāḷa, and Mahā Kāḷa were three householders who lived in Setavya, and they were brothers. Culla Kāḷa and Mahā Kāḷa, the oldest and youngest respectively, used to travel abroad with their caravan of five hundred carts and bring home goods to sell, and Majjhima Kāḷa sold the goods they brought. Now on a certain occasion the two brothers, taking wares of various kinds in their five hundred carts, set out for Sāvatthi, and halting between Sāvatthi and Jetavana, unharnessed their carts.

At eventide Mahā Kāḷa saw Noble Disciples, residents of Sāvatthi, with garlands and perfumes in their hands, going to hear the Law. "Where are they going?" he asked. Receiving the answer that they were going to hear the Law, he thought to himself, "I will go too." So he addressed his youngest brother, "Dear brother, keep watch over the carts; I am going to hear the Law." So saying, he went and paid obeisance to the Tathāgata and sat down in the outer circle of the congregation.

On that day the Teacher preached the Law in orderly sequence with reference to Mahā Kāḷa's disposition of mind, and quoting the Sutta on the Aggregate of Suffering, and other Suttas, discoursed on the sinfulness and folly and contamination of sensual pleasures. Mahā Kāḷa, after listening to the discourse, thought to himself, "So a man must needs leave al things behind him when he goes hence. When a man goes to the world beyond, neither wealth nor kinsmen can follow him. Why should I continue to live the life of a householder? I will become a monk." Accordingly, when the multitude had paid obeisance to the Teacher and departed, he requested the Teacher to receive him into the Order.

"Have you no kinsman of whom it is proper that you should ask permission?" inquired the Teacher. "I have a younger brother, Reverend Sir." "Ask his permission." "Very well, Reverend Sir." So Mahā Kāḷa went to Culla Kāḷa and said to him, "Dear brother,

receive all this wealth." "But you, brother?" "I intend to retire from the world under the Teacher." Culla Kāla used all manner of arguments to dissuade his brother from carrying out his intention, but in vain. Finally he said to him, "Very well, master; do as you wish." So Mahā Kāla went and became a monk under the Teacher. Culla Kāla likewise became a monk. But the thought in Culla Kāla's mind was, "After a time I will return to the world and take my brother with me."

Somewhat later Mahā Kāla made his full profession, and approaching the Teacher, asked him, "How many duties are there in this Religion?" The Teacher informed him that there were two. Said Mahā Kāla, "Reverend Sir, since I became a monk in old age, I shall not be able to fulfill the Duty of Study, but I can fulfill the Duty of Contemplation." So he had the Teacher instruct him in the Pure Practice of a Burning-grounder, which leads to Arahatship. At the end of the first watch, when everyone else was asleep, he went to the burning-ground; and at dawn, before anyone else had risen, he returned to the monastery.